Apple

Family: Lamiaceae Herb

Planting Schedule

Provide your location or planting zone to unlock dates and add Apple to a garden.

Aromatic and vivid, Apple Mint unfurls with a bright, apple-like lift that perfumes the garden air and lingers on the tongue with a cool, clean finish.

Leaves are tender and richly textured—softly quilted, medium-green, and wonderfully fragrant—ideal for fresh bouquets of flavor and for steeping into soothing infusions. Grow it for its lively, upright vigor and its dependable harvest of fragrant sprigs throughout the growing season.

Light: Part SunMaturity: 60 DaysHabit: Upright

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Apple Planting Dates by USDA Zone

Estimated US hardiness-zone windows for sow, transplant, and harvest. Enter a US ZIP above for exact local dates, or open a zone below.

Zone	Start Indoors	Sow / Transplant	Harvest
Zone 1a	Protected Environment Only
Zone 1b	May 4th	Jun 1st	Jul 31st – Aug 1st
Zone 2a	Apr 27th	May 25th	Jul 24th – Aug 29th
Zone 2b	Apr 17th	May 15th	Jul 14th – Aug 25th
Zone 3a	Apr 17th	May 15th	Jul 14th – Sep 1st
Zone 3b	Apr 21st	May 19th	Jul 18th – Sep 21st
Zone 4a	Apr 17th	May 15th	Jul 14th – Sep 24th
Zone 4b	Apr 15th	May 13th	Jul 12th – Sep 27th
Zone 5a	Apr 10th	May 8th	Jul 7th – Sep 30th
Zone 5b	Apr 6th	May 4th	Jul 3rd – Oct 5th
Zone 6a	Apr 3rd	May 1st	Jun 30th – Oct 10th
Zone 6b	Mar 28th	Apr 25th	Jun 24th – Oct 16th
Zone 7a	Mar 23rd	Apr 20th	Jun 19th – Oct 20th
Zone 7b	Mar 13th	Apr 10th	Jun 9th – Oct 28th
Zone 8a	Mar 4th	Apr 1st	May 31st – Nov 5th
Zone 8b	Feb 23rd	Mar 23rd	May 22nd – Nov 12th
Zone 9a	Feb 6th	Mar 6th	May 5th – Nov 26th
Zone 9b	Jan 12th	Feb 9th	Apr 10th – Dec 9th
Zone 10a	—	Oct 1st	Nov 30th – Feb 28th
Zone 10b	—	Oct 1st	Nov 30th – Feb 28th
Zone 11a	—	Oct 1st	Nov 30th – Feb 28th
Zone 11b	—	Oct 1st	Nov 30th – Feb 28th
Zone 12a	—	Oct 1st	Nov 30th – Feb 28th
Zone 12b	—	Oct 1st	Nov 30th – Feb 28th
Zone 13a	—	Oct 1st	Nov 30th – Feb 28th
Zone 13b	—	Oct 1st	Nov 30th – Feb 28th

Crop Details

Trait	Value
Days to Maturity	60
Sun Requirements	Part Sun
Growth Habit	Upright
Support Needed	None
Planting Depth	Normal
Germination Temp (°F)	70
Min Soil Temp (°F)	50
Min Night Temp (°F)	40
Harden Off (days)	7

Culinary Notes

Chef's Note

Apple mint tastes like someone turned crisp orchard fruit into aromatics—bright, fragrant, and clean with a cool finish. Use it aggressively fresh (or as a short steep) so the leaf perfume stays vivid instead of going dull.

Best Uses

steeped tea or quick cold-brew infusion
chopped-fresh into fruit salads where it won’t go bitter
folded into yogurt, crème fraîche, or whipped cottage cheese
used to perfume syrups and vinegar for quick spritzes

Flavor Profile

apple-like aromatic lift cool mint finish tender, softly quilted leaf texture

Kitchen Pairings

green apple lemon zest honey yogurt cucumber black tea

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I manage apple powdery mildew (white fungal coating on leaves) in my backyard trees?

Powdery mildew shows as a gray-white powder on new leaves and shoot tips, often starting in early spring. Remove and destroy the worst affected new growth, thin crowded shoots for airflow, and spray a registered sulfur or potassium bicarbonate product according to label timing (repeat every 7–14 days during active growth). Avoid wetting the leaves at night and don’t fertilize with excess nitrogen, which drives tender growth that mildew loves.

During the main growing season, how often should I water an apple tree and what soil moisture level should I aim for?

From leaf-out through fruit sizing, water deeply about 1–2 times per week depending on rainfall, keeping the top 6–12 inches of soil evenly moist. Use a slow soak so water reaches the root zone (not just the surface), and stop once the soil is moist but not soggy—if you can squeeze a handful of soil and it stays in a clump without dripping, it’s about right. In hot spells or sandy soil, you may need more frequent deep watering to prevent leaf wilting and fruit drop.

How can I tell when my apples are ready to harvest (at ~60 days to maturity)?

Pick when fruit background color changes from green to its final mature color and seeds inside are dark brown (not pale). Test firmness—ripe apples should give slightly under gentle pressure near the stem—and check that the apple comes off with an easy twist rather than resisting. Harvesting time is best judged by taste and seed color; if apples are still crisp and seeds are pale, let them hang longer even if days are near 60.