How to grow Thyme

Thymus vulgaris · common thyme, garden thyme

A hardy, low, semi-woody perennial herb with small aromatic leaves, widely used in Mediterranean cooking.

Quick facts

Type	Herb
Family	Lamiaceae
Light	Full sun
Soil pH	6–8
Frost	tolerates light frost
Soil for sowing	from 10 °C
Germination	18 days
Seedlings ready	45 days
Sowing to harvest	92 days
Where it grows	Greenhouse, Open ground, At home

When to plant

Sow for seedlings about 9 weeks before planting out.

It tolerates light frost: plant out in open ground about three weeks before your last spring frost.

In an unheated greenhouse everything moves about three weeks earlier.

The first harvest comes about 92 days after the shoots appear.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Greenhouse

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Germination	every 2 days	15…21 °C	—
Seedlings	every 3 days	—	—
Growth	every 7 days	—	—
Harvest	every 10 days	—	—

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Germination	every 2 days	15…21 °C	—
Seedlings	every 3 days	—	—
Growth	every 10 days	—	—
Harvest	every 14 days	—	—

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Germination	every 2 days	15…21 °C	—
Seedlings	every 3 days	—	—
Growth	every 5 days	—	—
Harvest	every 5 days	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Full sun, at least 6 hours a day; it does not tolerate shade. In very hot climates partial shade helps.

Soil

Light, dry, well-drained soil, sandy or gritty, pH 6–8; it does not tolerate wet roots.

Care

Sow on the surface and barely cover; seed is slow and plants take about a year to establish, so cut only a few stems in the first year. Once established it rarely needs watering, and too much water rots the roots. Rich soil and feeding make the flavour weaker. Trim lightly in mid to late spring and after flowering, but not into old wood, which may not regrow. Leaves taste best just before flowering. Replace plants every 3–4 years when they turn woody.

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.