Thyme

Our little thyme bush.
We've harvested leaves a few times already

Thyme is a perennial herb belonging to the Thymus genus in the Lamiaceae family (aka the mint family). A large variety of species and cultivars are available ranging from woody shrubs to trailing plants. Not all species are used for culinary purposes though as some are used as ground cover or ornamental plants. The most common species (Thymus vulgaris) is the one mainly used in flavoring meats, soups, stews, and even breads (If you ask nicely Jessica might even share the thyme bread recipe on a later post).

If you want to grow thyme you have three options: seeds, cuttings or nursery plants. If you are interested in one of the cultivars such as lemon thyme you will need to obtain cuttings from a fellow gardener or buy plants at the nursery since no seeds are available. For common thyme all three options available to you. Obviously, we chose seeds (If you follow this blog you should know that we love growing plants from seed. If not, what are you waiting for? Follow us...and bring cookies).

We've found thyme extremely easy to grow from seed. The only challenge is getting from the seedling stage to the transplant stage. Since the seeds are very small we planted quite a few (As a rule of thumb the smaller the seed the lower the germination rate). When they sprouted we had to thin quite a few to make it manageable. We ended up with three or four plants in a relatively small container (see picture). After that it's smooth sailing. Being native to the dry Mediterranean thyme requires little care and attention. Similar to other herbs thyme does best in well-draining potting soil on a full sun (6+ hours of sunlight) location. Only water when the soil is dry and apply a balanced fertilizer every other week for optimum growth. To harvest just cut the desired sprigs and remove the leaves from the stems before cooking.

Due to its versatility in the kitchen and its low maintenance requirements we recommend thyme for even the laziest of gardeners. And if you have lemon or orange or lavender or any other crazy cultivar give us a shout. We would love to add one to our garden.