Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Mint (Mentha)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called peppermint, spearmint, garden mint.

About Mint

Mentha · also called peppermint, spearmint · herb

Mint is a vigorous spreading perennial herb that thrives in damp soil and partial shade. Best grown in a sunken pot or dedicated bed to stop it taking over. Easy and forgiving. Toxic to pets in large quantities — keep out of reach of cats and dogs.

Mint (Mentha species, Lamiaceae) is a perennial aromatic herb of temperate Eurasia and naturalised worldwide; in the wild it favours damp ground along streams and ditches, which explains its preference for consistently moist soil.

A fast-spreading hardy herbaceous perennial; most types die back in winter and resprout from rhizomes, and species hybridise readily, so plants grown from seed rarely come true to type.

Cold limit: USDA 3-11 (varies by species) · RHS H7 (13-24°C)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org, almanac.com

What mint's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — mint is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3-11 (varies by species), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H7 means: Hardy in the severest European continental winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 3-11 (varies by species) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly below about −20 °C. Mint is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for mint as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °C once established.
Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root.
First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.

Can mint go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 3-11 (varies by species) and it overwinters with little or no help.
It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy.
The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when mint can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H7 figure above.

Mint hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is mint cold hardy?

Yes — mint is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3-11 (varies by species), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Mint is hardy across USDA 3-11 (varies by species); it belongs in the ground or a frost-proof container, not on a windowsill, and many types actively need a cold winter to perform.

What is the minimum temperature mint can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly below about −20 °C. Mint is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is mint?

Mint is rated USDA 3-11 (varies by species) and RHS H7 — Hardy in the severest European continental winters.

Can mint survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 3-11 (varies by species) and it overwinters with little or no help. It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy. The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

What happens to mint below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °C once established. Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root. First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.