Mediterranean
How to grow thyme
Thymus vulgaris
Thyme is a small, hardy evergreen that wants full sun and poor, gritty, fast-draining soil. Plant it in April or May with the crown sitting slightly proud of the surface and a collar of grit around it. Cold does not trouble it; winter wet does, so on heavy soil grow it in a raised bed, a wall or a terracotta pot. Clip it over after flowering in July to keep it dense, do not feed it, and replace plants from cuttings every four years or so. In companion planting it earns its place as low ground cover along a sunny bed edge.
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy if drained; winter wet kills it
- Position
- Full sun
- Soil
- Sharp-draining, gritty, poor
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 8.0
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- Light feeder
Sowing and planting thyme
WhenPlant Apr to May; harvest year-round; clip after flowering in Jul
Starting off
Plant pot-grown stock Apr to May. Seed is tiny and slow: surface-sow indoors Feb to Mar at 18 to 20°C for emergence in 2 to 3 weeks. Semi-ripe cuttings 5 to 8 cm long in Jun to Aug root in four weeks, or mound gritty soil over a straggly clump in spring and detach the rooted stems in autumn.
Spacing and planting
Plant 20 to 30 cm apart (eventual spread 30 to 45 cm), or 20 cm apart as an edging, setting the crown slightly proud with grit beneath. Fine in a 15 to 20 cm terracotta pot or a shallow trough with 30 per cent grit.
Varieties worth growing
- Common thyme
- Thymus vulgaris, the strongest culinary thyme and the one for stocks, stews and roasts. Upright, to about 25 cm.
- Lemon thyme
- Bright lemon scent for chicken and fish, on a slightly softer, bushier plant. Golden and variegated forms are widely sold.
- Silver Posie
- A common thyme with white-edged leaves and pink flowers. Full flavour and good-looking enough for the front of a border.
- Pink Chintz
- A creeping thyme only 5 cm high for paving cracks and gravel, with a sheet of pale pink flowers that bees work in June. Mild in the kitchen.
Thyme month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Pick sprigs as needed. Keep fallen leaves off the plants.
- February
Sow seed on the surface of gritty compost indoors at 18 to 20°C.
- March
Top-dress plants with grit. Sow indoors. Mound gritty soil into the centre of straggly old clumps.
- April
Plant. Prick out seedlings. Trim off any winter-killed tips once new growth shows.
- May
Plant. Pick freely; the flavour is at its strongest in the weeks before flowering.
- June
Flowering, alive with bees. Take semi-ripe cuttings 5 to 8 cm long from non-flowering shoots.
- July
Clip over after flowering, removing the spent flowers and 2 to 3 cm of green growth. Cut a batch for drying first.
- August
Last cuttings. Pot up those rooted in June. No more clipping after mid month.
- September
Detach and replant stems that rooted in the spring mound.
- October
Move pots under the eaves or onto feet, out of the worst rain.
- November
Pick lightly. Clear leaves that have blown onto the plants.
- December
Pick lightly.
Feeding thyme
Thyme in the ground needs no fertiliser, ever. Grit does more for it than feed. The only case for feeding is a plant that has been in the same pot for two seasons or more.
Minimal, poor, dry soil gives the strongest flavour; never feed heavily.
Feeding plan
March, in the ground
Horticultural grit
A 1 to 2 cm layer tucked under and around the plant. No fertiliser.
April, pots after two seasons in the same compost
1 ml per litre of compost, the low end of the label's top-dress rate, once: 3 to 4 ml, a little under a level teaspoon, for a 20 cm pot holding 3 to 4 litres. Or scrape off the top 2 cm and replace it with fresh gritty loam.
May, pots, only if growth is still pale
1 g per litre of water as a single drench. If that does not green it up, repot it.
Signs to watch
Dying brown centre with yellow lower leaves
Waterlogging or a plant past four years old
Replace from cuttings
Pale, lanky, weakly scented growth
Too much nitrogen or shade
Stop feeding and move into full sun
Yellowing in a pot after two seasons
Exhausted compost
Top-dress with gritty loam
Pests, diseases and problems
Stems brown and die in patches over winter and the plant pulls away from the soil with few roots
Root rot from wet, heavy or compacted soil
Replace the plant; it will not recover. Replant in a raised position with grit worked in beneath, top-dress with grit so the crown stays dry, and stand pots on feet out of winter rain.
Grey mould and brown, matted patches inside the clump in damp weather
Grey mould in dense, unclipped growth where air cannot move
Cut out the affected patches to clean growth, clear fallen leaves off the plant in autumn, and clip after flowering each year so the clump stays open.
Shoot tips chewed, with small metallic green and purple striped beetles on the plant
Rosemary beetle, moving over from nearby rosemary or lavender
Pick them off by hand, or tap the plant over a sheet of paper. Check the neighbouring rosemary at the same time.
Pale speckling on the leaves in summer
Leafhoppers
Ignore it. The plant is unharmed and the leaves are fine to use.
The plant falls open to show bare woody stems in the middle
Age and a lack of clipping; thyme is short-lived
In spring, mound gritty soil into the centre so the bare stems root, and detach the rooted pieces in autumn, or take cuttings in June and start again. Do not cut back into bare wood.
Harvest and rotation
Harvest and storage
Snip sprigs year-round, most aromatic just before the Jun flowering, taking no more than a third of the plant at a time. A two-year plant gives a 20 to 30 g handful a week in summer. Dry in bunches for 1 to 2 weeks and strip the leaves into jars, where they keep 12 months with flavour intact; sprigs also freeze in ice cubes.
Rotation and companions
No rotation needed. Keep it clear of mint and chives, which want moisture and cast shade.
Good to knowIt hates winter wet, so add grit; clip after flowering to keep it compact.
Growing thyme in pots
Thyme suits a pot better than most herbs because you control the drainage. Use a 15 to 20 cm terracotta pot or a shallow trough with loam-based compost and about a third grit, and finish with a layer of grit on the surface. Thyme is one of the easier plants in container gardening because it needs so little water and no feed at all. Stand it in full sun on feet. Water only when the compost has dried out, and in winter leave it to the rain or less. Several thymes planted together in a wide, shallow bowl do well for two or three years before they need splitting up and replanting in fresh mix.
Thyme: common questions
Why is my thyme dying in the middle?
Either the roots have been too wet or the plant is simply old. Thyme is short-lived and turns woody and bare in the centre after four years or so, sooner if it is never clipped. Waterlogging over winter has the same effect faster. Take cuttings in June or mound grit into the centre to root new pieces, and replant in better drainage.
Does thyme need feeding?
No, not in the ground. Thyme grows naturally on thin, stony soil and feeding gives lanky, weakly flavoured growth that is more likely to rot. A plant that has been in the same pot for two or more seasons can have a very small seaweed top-dress in April, or better, fresh gritty compost.
Can you grow thyme indoors on a windowsill?
Only for a while. Thyme needs more light than most windowsills give and soon grows thin and leggy indoors, especially in winter. A south-facing sill will keep a pot going for a few months if you water sparingly. It is hardy and evergreen, so it is easier to keep it outside by the back door and pick it all year.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.