Growing Thyme

Introduction

The plant has an agreeable aromatic smell and a warm, pungent taste. The fragrance of its leaves is due to an essential oil, which gives it its flavoring value for culinary purposes, and is also the source of its medicinal properties.

Types

The most readily available thyme is the English thyme; also called "common thyme". Other varieties include Lemon thyme, Woolly thyme, Creeping and Elfin thyme.

Germination & Propagation

Thyme has a long germination period (3-4 weeks). Place two or three seeds in a small quarter inch hole in every germination pot. One can grow multiple plants in the same pot. Seeds are best stored in the refrigerator and can be purchased directly from us via our Seed Store.

I suggest buying a starter plant and either take cuttings or propagate by means of layering.

Propagate from cuttings: Clip a three-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 Sunshine #4. Water liberally and keep moist until you see new growth forming. Roots will emerge in about four to six weeks. Transfer to a small pot, let the root ball form, and then transfer to a large pot or directly to your garden.

Propagate by layering: Take a long thyme stem and carefully secure it along the soil with wire or a U-shaped stake, leaving four inches of the tip free. Make sure the pinned portion is directly touching the soil. Roots will start to form along the stem within about a month. Cut away the newly rooted plant from the main plant and transfer elsewhere within the garden or to a large pot.

Planting

Once you have a seedling or propagated starter plant, transfer it into a 6 inch pot with a good draining mix like the Best Hawaiian Soil Mix. This is essential as thyme is very susceptible to fungal attack. Thyme grows relatively slowly and like a creeper in many directions. I have my final plants in 4 gallon containers and prune them regularly as that will prevent the thyme from overloading the pot they are in.

Sun and Water

Thyme loves plenty of sun and does not mind warm and even hot conditions. It does not need to be watered every day. In fact, thyme prefers a dryer soil. No need to flood water, a moderate amount every so often will suffice. Thyme is very drought resistant.

Fertilizing

Thyme requires a balanced feeding program; I use a blend of nitrogen rich and phosphorous rich bat guano and boost the nitrogen content with a little blood meal. Thyme is not a heavy feeder, apply fertilizers sparingly.

Harvesting

Thyme rarely flowers in Hawaii, however, in order to obtain the best and most potent flavor, harvest thyme just before the plant enters the flowering phase. As with the majority of herbs, once the plants start to bolt and form flowers for producing seeds, the flavor intensity is lost.

Thyme is one of those herbs, like oregano or sage, which tastes great both fresh and dried. As thyme is so pungent, only a few sprigs are needed for a meal, which I'll typically cut when needed. However, if the plant is threatening to overtake its planter, a mass harvest can be performed and dried for later use.

That said, like many herbs, regular pruning of your thyme plant will actually encourage the plant to grow more, so I cut on my plants regularly and give much of it away.