If you’ve ever planted mint in the ground, not in a pot, in the actual ground, you know what I’m dealing with.

I did it. Years ago. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Now it carpets one of my 2.5x20 in-ground beds like it owns the place, because it basically does.

The strawberries I planted last year are in there fighting for their lives. A few made it and actually spread a bit, which was a small miracle. Bunnies hit the young plants hard, they love the tender new growth in spring, so I’m putting up a low chicken wire border early this year before they get established.

The mint removal plan: cut it all the way down, lay cardboard over the entire bed, pile on 4-6 inches of wood chip mulch. No light, no growth. It’ll try to come back at the edges, mint always does, but each year it gets weaker if you stay on it.

The goal is to let the strawberries spread and take over the whole bed. In a few years it should be a solid strawberry patch. That’s the dream, anyway. The mint has other ideas.