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How to Grow Thyme: Tips for Planting, Caring, and Harvesting This Fragrant Herb

thyme herb growing in the garden

Learn how to plant, grow, and harvest thyme in your herb garden.

Botanical Name
Thymus vulgaris
Plant Type
Herbs
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Part Sun
Hardiness Zone
5
6
7
8
9

Discover Culinary and Ornamental Thyme Varieties, Planting Tips, and Easy Care Guidelines

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

It’s thyme to get growing! Whether you’re spicing up summer soups, grilling veggies, or adding fragrant greenery to your garden, thyme is a hardy, low-maintenance herb that’s as versatile as it is aromatic. Let’s dig in and see how to plant, grow, and harvest this little powerhouse of flavor.

About Thyme

A low-growing, hardy perennial, thyme is a fragrant herb with small, fragrant leaves and thin, woody stems. The culinary varieties are evergreen.

Thyme comes in over 50 varieties with different fragrances and flavors. Fresh or English thyme is used most often in cooking.

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Originally from the Mediterranean area, this herb is drought-friendly, so it doesn’t have high watering needs. It is also pollinator-friendly! Let some thyme plants flower since the herb attracts the bees.

While thyme is usually harvested in the summer months, we have harvested ours well into late fall!

Thyme can grow in the ground or in a container. Either is left outside in the wintertime. New leaves will emerge within the early spring.

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Planting

  • Thyme thrives in full sun and loves heat. If you are growing in a pot indoors, plant near a sunny window.
  • Soil needs to drain well so there aren’t “wet feet.” In the garden, plant with other drought-tolerant perennials.
  • In early spring, you may fertilize with organic matter, like compost, but not much soil amendment is necessary.
  • It’s hard to grow thyme from seeds because of slow, uneven germination. It’s easier to buy the plants from a garden center or take some cuttings from a friend. Over time, you can propagate from your own cuttings.
  • For a head start, plant the cuttings indoors 6 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost. (See your local frost dates.)
  • Plant cuttings or young thyme plants any time after the ground temperature reaches 70°F. This is usually 2 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost in well-drained soil about 9 inches apart.
  • Space young plants 12 to 24 inches apart, depending upon the specific variety.
  • The plants should grow 6 to 12 inches in height.
  • In the garden, plant thyme near cabbage or tomatoes.
  • If you are growing thyme in containers, plant with rosemary, which also likes sunny conditions and has similar watering needs.

Growing

  • Water deeply only when the soil is completely dry.
  • Prune the plants back in the spring and summer to contain the growth.
  • If you have cold winters, remember to lightly mulch around the plants after the ground freezes.
  • Three- to 4-year-old plants need to be divided or replaced because older plants are woody and the leaves less flavorful.
  • You can take some cuttings and plant them indoors in pots, too.

How to Take a Cutting of Thyme

Clip a 3-inch cutting from the very tip of a stem, apply rooting hormone on the exposed portion of the stem, and plant it in either sterile sand or vermiculite. Roots will emerge within about 6 weeks. Transfer to a small pot, let the root ball form, and then transfer to a large pot or directly to your garden.

The macrophoto of herb Thymus serpyllum, Breckland thyme. Breckland wild thyme, creeping thyme, or elfin thyme blossoms close up. Natural medicine. Culinary ingredient and fragrant spice in habitat
Bees love thyme’s vibrant purple flowers.
Photo: Rejdan

Types

The three most common varieties of culinary thyme are:

  • French or English thyme (most common)
  • Lemon thyme, for a hint of lemon
  • Caraway thyme, for a nice fragrance of caraway and thyme

Harvesting

  • Harvest thyme just before the plant flowers by cutting off the top 5 to 6 inches of growth. Leave the tough, woody parts.
  • It’s best to harvest thyme in the morning after the dew has dried. Clean leaves should not be washed because it removes some of the essential oils.
  • Two or more crops may be gathered during the season.
  • Or, if you keep trimming your thyme plant, it will keep growing (and also keep a compact shape). But always leave at least 5 inches of growth so the plant will continue to thrive.
  • Trim thyme whenever it gets leggy.
  • Fresh thyme should be stored refrigerated and wrapped lightly in plastic; it should last 1 to 2 weeks.
  • To dry thyme, hang the sprigs in a dark, well-ventilated, warm area. You can also just dry the leaves by placing them on a tray. Once dried, store them in an airtight container. Crush just before using. Under good conditions, herbs will retain maximum flavor for 2 years.
  • Freezing is another method of storage.

Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

Wit and Wisdom

Burning thyme can help get rid of insects in your house.

Learn more about herb folklore.

Recipes
Herb-Stuffed Pasta
Grilled Flank Steak With Thyme
Carrots with Brown Butter & Thyme
Chicken With Lemon and Thyme

Cooking Notes

Thyme adds a gentle flavor to just about anything, especially eggs, tomatoes, meats, soups, beans, and potatoes.

Its taste has been described as a bit earthy with lemony and minty tones. Some think it has a slight floral flavor.

Fresh thyme can be used with or without its stem. However, if a recipe calls for a “sprig,” the stem should be left on. The leaves will fall off in cooking, and then the stem can be removed prior to serving.  

If a recipe calls for a “sprig” of thyme, the leaves and stem should be used together, intact. When adding a whole sprig of thyme to soups, stews, or other recipes, the leaves usually fall off during cooking, and the woody stem can be removed prior to serving.

Herbs
About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 08/11/2014 - 10:42

Thyme seems to thrive in pebbly environments. Think rock garden. When you grow in a container, put gravel at the bottom.  Use a shallow, wide container so it's more horizontal than vertical. Use potting soil that does not contain peat.  And also add a thin layer of light gravel on the soil surface. Basically, your soil needs to have access to water at all times but drain quickly and be very loose, not rich or dense.

 <span>Andy Jenkins</span> Mon, 06/02/2014 - 04:42
Thyme is a must have in your herb garden.so many benefits
<span>Emily Q</span> Wed, 04/16/2014 - 11:26
I have found that if I pick my herbs and place them loosely in a paper sack they dry quite nicely. :)
<span>April Greewood</span> Tue, 05/12/2015 - 22:28
This is how I dry mine, in flat-bottomed brown paper lunch bags (don't use plastic). I have a drying cupboard I keep them in. I have a 6 drawer dehydrator but the paper bags work just as well if not better.
<span>Brin Kearney</span> Thu, 01/09/2014 - 14:03
I have horrible soil that is virtually impossible to dig in, so I want to sow the seeds directly. I ordered a can of 2k seeds 2 years ago, scratched up the soil, mixed the seeds with pearlite, and watered to keep the soil moist until germination, which never happened. Finally, the second year, one plant came up outside the garden wall, where it's very dry. I'm wondering if I should water the seeds at all until germination, or just put them out and see what they do with only the rain.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 01/10/2014 - 15:01

If you direct sow the seeds in the ground you need to keep them moist and that can be tricky. You may need to amend your soil so that it will retain moisture better. Thyme seed is known to be difficult to germinate outdoors. The temperature has to be warm (70 degrees F) for successful germination. Many start the seeds in trays indoors and then transplant outdoors.

 <span>Laura D Snyder</span> Thu, 09/15/2011 - 14:17
I was told that what has become quickly spreading shrubs were Creeping Thyme. It flowers more than Thyme plants I've seen at nurseries. It it usable as an herb?
<span>Anonymous</span> Tue, 11/27/2012 - 14:14
I grew creeping thyme by mistake. It's a lush and hardy plant, but it lacks the essential oils you need as a culinary plant. No odor, no taste.
<span>Starla Adams</span> Thu, 06/24/2010 - 07:08
kills bacteria in enclosed homes when boiled as a tea it prevents and cures sinus infections add lemon and honey to activate the c and high iron content.