Thyme

Thyme Thymus vulgaris

What is the plant

Thyme is a herb with a pleasant, pungent, clover flavor. There are both fragrant ornamental types as well as culinary thyme varieties which add a savory note to summer soups, grilled meats, and vegetables.

Thyme is a low-growing hardy perennial with small, fragrant leaves and thin, woody stems. The culinary varieties are evergreen. Thyme comes in over fifty varieties with different fragrances and flavors. Fresh or English thyme are used most often in cooking. 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 wintertime. New leaves will emerge within the early spring.

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Humidity

Normal

Lighting

Full Sun

Temperature

15°C - 21°C

Hardiness zone

5a - 10b

Difficulty

Medium

Hibernation

Cold Period

Water
Water: most varieties of thyme are drought-resistant, so only give a thorough watering, when a soil is completely dry.
Sunlight
The minimal sun requirements of four to six hours.
Fertilizer
Use a fertilizer formulated specifically for your plant. Avoid over-fertilizing and follow the instruction on the label.

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Soil
Loam soil offers a great balance of silt, sand, and clay as well as a bit of hummus.
Pruning
Dead or dying sections of the plant can encourage pest infestation or disease. Removing these not only makes your houseplant look better, but reduces the risk of further problems down the line.
Propagation
Thyme can be easily propagated from leaf-tip cuttings or division of mature plants. To divide a large plant, remove the plant from the pot and gently tease apart the root ball and stems, then plant each ball in its own pot. In most cases, however, it's usually easier to discard older, woody plants and buy new thyme plants. Thyme can also be readily grown from seed, which opens up a larger selection, such as lemon or Spanish thyme. Thyme seeds germinate in one to three weeks. Most thyme plants are only repotted after their initial purchase, perhaps stepping up from the 4" nursery pot into a 6" pot, which is plenty large enough to support a thriving and healthy thyme plant. Older plants develop a woody stem. You can divide older plants at repotting time and place them back into 6" pots with fresh soil—there is no reason to grow thyme in larger pots for kitchen use, especially if the thyme is part of a collection of kitchen herbs.

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Temperature
Average room temperatures of above 65 °F (18 °C) will suffice.
Container
Pot should provide ample drainage and room for growth.
Popularity
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