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.