How to grow Thyme in the UK
A tough little herb for a sunny, dry spot. Bees love its flowers.
- DifficultyEasy peasy
- WhereBeds or Pots
- Grows to20cm
- Spacing25cm
- Time to first pickabout 6 weeks
- Typeperennial
When to sow, plant and harvest thyme
| Plant | early April to late June or early September to late September |
|---|---|
| Pick | mid April to late October |
Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.
Planting it
- Water your new plants in their pots first
- Dig a hole a bit bigger than the pot
- Tip the plant out gently, holding the leaves, not the stem
- Pop it in the hole, firm the soil around it, and water well
- Space the plants about 25cm apart each way
Top tips for growing thyme
- It likes poor, gritty soil - don't feed it.
- Trim it after flowering to keep it bushy.
Soil and feeding
Poor, free-draining soil - they don't like it too rich. Most herbs like it quite poor and sunny. Too much food makes them floppy and less tasty.
Harvesting and eating thyme
Snip sprigs whenever you need them.
How to eat them: Strip the tiny leaves into stews, roast potatoes and tomato sauce.
Storing thyme
Keeps a year, dried.
- Hang small bunches upside down somewhere warm and airy for 1-2 weeks
- Crumble the dry leaves into a jar with a lid
Freezes well on the stalk - strip the leaves straight from frozen.
Good varieties of thyme
- Common thyme: The classic kitchen thyme.
- Lemon thyme: Smells and tastes of lemon.
Companion planting
Grows well with
- Kale: may confuse cabbage white butterflies
- Strawberries: flowers bring bees
Saving your own thyme seed
Autumn or early spring.
- Dig up a big clump
- Pull or cut it into two or three pieces, each with roots and shoots
- Replant them - more plants for free, and the old one grows better too
Where to buy thyme plants
Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon
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Thyme questions
When do I plant out thyme?
Plant thyme out from early April to late June or early September to late September.
When can I pick thyme?
Thyme is ready from mid April to late October. Snip sprigs whenever you need them.
How long do thyme take to grow?
Roughly 6 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.
Are thyme easy to grow?
Thyme are rated 'easy peasy' for beginners, and can be grown in the ground or a raised bed or in pots and containers.
Plan your own garden: it tells you what to do and when, for your postcode.
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