Q: My family planted a small space of mint about 10 years ago. We thought it would be nice to add to teas and such. Well, the plant exploded and has grown to cover an area of about 15 by 20 feet. Is there a way to permanently dispose of this nuisance? We’ve tried, but it always comes back.

A: That’s just more evidence for my theory that mint is attempting to take over the Earth. This is a family that creeps amazingly well -- even in poor soil and under several inches of mulch.

Mint also recovers exceptionally well when it’s dug or pulled. Miss a piece of torn-off rhizome and the plant comes back and resumes spreading. A really bad drought is one of the few things that seems to discourage it.

If you’re not averse to herbicides, you can eliminate mint by spraying leaves with glyphosate (i.e. RoundUp) or a similar kill-everything-green herbicide. These move into the roots and kill more thoroughly than leaf-burning types of herbicides.

You’ll probably need to repeat treatments whenever you see remnants trying to restart. If you get these before they have a chance to absorb sunlight and recharge, you’ll ultimately win.

I’m not a fan of reaching for the sprayer as a first option, so I’d attempt to achieve the same thing by pulling and digging. You’ll invariably fail to get every last piece on the first try, but if you keep watching for regrowth and pull and dig that, you’ll eventually win. That plan will just take more time and effort.

Also options are “kinder, gentler” ways to kill plants, i.e. pouring boiling water on them, blasting them with flames from a propane torch or dousing them with vinegar or a vinegar-based commercial herbicide. OK, none of those are very kind either, but they’re alternatives to synthetic-chemical herbicides.

Mints would actually be great additions to any garden if they were a bit better behaved. They’re useful in a variety of ways and also smell nice.