Help! Poison Ivy in My Mint Patch

Can you help  me with a natural way to get rid of poison ivy in my mint garden?
Twenty seven years ago when we moved into our house, I planted one lone little sprig of mint in the ground behind my deck. Within 3 years, it spread into a beautiful lush 10X4 herbal garden of mint.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed my mint patch. It is a perennial herb so it popped its head through the hard cold ground every March and would hang on, still producing meekly, until mid November!  The picture above is last season's patch in full bloom in June!

I found so many ways to enjoy that mint.

I added fresh mint to all my salads, omelettes, fruit salads, etc.
I dried the mint and added it to my cooking
I made minted drinks like mint tea, mint lemonade, and mojitoes
I made mint pestos and added dried mint to my veggies
I cut fresh mint to keep in a vase in my kitchen
I enjoyed the beautiful aroma of the mint when the wind was blowing

A bunch of fresh mint from my mint garden last summer

Over the years we and our friends and neighbors have enjoyed the fruits of that plentiful patch of mint that grew literally like weeds and was invincible. It was invincible until this spring.

Here's what happened. As usual, in the early early spring, I started to search for the little mint plants to break through the soil. I wasn't disappointed. The aromatic greens survived the harsh winter and returned in full force.

Unfortunately, they weren't the only plants to arrive this year. The mint was now sharing the patch with a very healthy batch of poison ivy plants. Lots and lots of them throughout the entire minted area.

I couldn't believe it, but it's true. I'm not even sure what to do .
I know I have to get rid of the poison ivy or it will probably spread all around my yard.

Unless one of my readers has a solution, I don't know how to get rid of the poison ivy without destroying the mint.

Here's what I did so far: I covered myself  in plastic and tried to physically pull out the plants, but there were too many of them and some were very small. I doubt it was even effective because I couldn't get the root of those darn things.

Do you think my mint garden is doomed? gone forever?
Can I even get rid of the poison ivy?
I'm no farmer- I would appreciate your 2 cents- any suggestions for how to rid the poison ivy naturally?


When I researched Natural Solutions I found 
1. Spray leaves with vinegar and salt solution
2. Pour boiling water on the plants
3. Pull out the plants ( very carefully) - don't burn them ( the fumes are toxic to the lungs) - bag them in plastic and tie well before discarding.

Any suggestions how to salvage my mint or do I have to forget it and start over again in another spot?


Some of My Previous Recipes Using Fresh Mint

                                   Frozen Kiwi Mojito with Mint  ( virgin and alcohol version)

Beet Salad with Mint, lemon, and celery

Cold Yogurt Cucumber Soup with Fresh Mint

Jicama Mint Salad 

How to grow herbs on your windowsill or deck ( how to dry mint) 

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