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How to Grow Thyme Plants: The Complete Guide

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

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

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Thyme

Catherine Boeckmann
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It’s about time to grow some thyme! Thyme is a wonderful 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. Here’s how to plant and grow thyme.

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.

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 a container. Either is left outside in 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 鈥渨et feet.鈥 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掳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.

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

Wit and Wisdom

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

Learn more about herb folklore.

Pests/Diseases

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 鈥渟prig,鈥 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 鈥渟prig鈥 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 loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it鈥檚 not surprising that she and The Old Farmer鈥檚 蜜桃恋人 found each other. She leads digital content for the 蜜桃恋人 website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

Bunny Rabbit (not verified)

9 years 1 month ago

I have planted a small sprig of dried thyme a month ago .Its December now and I don't see any new green leaves sprouting . Is it normal . Some other plants I have planted at the same time have started slowly showing signs of life . Will this dry sprig grow ? When ?

Was this a truly dry sprig? It’s best to use fresh, green (not woody) cuttings to propagate thyme, during the growing season—spring through early fall. As the days get closer to winter, the plant may respond more slowly, or it may not form roots at all.

For a tip cutting, remove the top 3 to 4-inches of a sprig, cutting at an angle, and then dusting the cut end in rooting hormone. (You may want to make the cut just below a node—where the leaves emerge from the stem.) Strip off all but the top several leaves and sink the cutting about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way into soil mix, vermiculite, or perlite. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. Cover with a plastic bag to keep the environment moist—prop it up so that the plastic does not touch the plant. Place in a warm area in bright, indirect light. Providing bottom heat, such as using a heating mat for seedlings, can be helpful. Keep up with watering (again, making sure that it is not overly moist). Roots should form in about two to six weeks.

rania hassan (not verified)

9 years 1 month ago

how long germination time does it take in the soil after seedling ???? please

For Thymus vulgaris, the days to germination is about 14 to 28 days, depending on conditions, health of the plant, cultivar, etc.

Christi Howe (not verified)

9 years 7 months ago

I'm currently growing "Doone Valley" Thyme. It's been growing amazingly but I'm not sure how to use it when cooking. The purple flowers have grown all over it but I wasn't sure if I should use the whole plant clippings, leaves and all or if there was a certain way to do so when cooking?

'Doone Valley' is more often used as a landscape feature rather than for cooking, as there are other choices that keep their flavor better. You can, however, harvest the leaves and flowers and use them as a garnish. Some sources say that the lemony scent fades when cooked (Lemon Thyme is better for this purpose). Strip the fresh leaves from the stems and use the leaves as needed, or dry sprigs of leaves using the instructions in the article above.

Teresa Nicole (not verified)

9 years 7 months ago

I started an herb garden last year, replacing my vegetables because the wild animals loved my vegetables too much. I use creeping thyme for home made tea and also in my cooking. When you harvest thyme to use in the cooking, do you only use the leaves or the whole stem? I have a large harvest I could probably sell at my local farmers market ha ha! But for now I'm enjoying it myself but don't know if I'm using it correctly. Right now I pull off the leaves and discard the stem. Also, I have a hard time propagating them (I want to place some in my windowsill but they always die out). The only success I had is to deliberately spread the creeping thyme around the garden to get it to grow where I want it because the cuttings always die. Please help! Thank you all!

It's best to remove the leaves from the stem if you are using the herb to season foods at the end of the cooking time or cold dishes. If you are using thyme in soups and dishes that cook for some time you can put sprigs in the pot. The leaves will detach from the stems during cooking and you can remove the stems before serving.
To propagate thyme use cuttings from fresh (new, green) growth and dip the cut end into rooting hormone before putting the cuttings into soil.

T. Rod (not verified)

9 years 8 months ago

Is it ok to plant lemon thyme in my garden bed with my veggies? Or will it spread like wildfire and overtake the veggie garden.

Thyme spreads nicely and yes, it can be invasive though not as much as mint! If you are concerned, it would be better to planting in a container.