Thyme
Herb · warm season
When to plant
- Start seeds indoors about 8 weeks before planting out.
- Plant outdoors about around your average last spring frost.
- Ready to harvest about 70 days after planting out.
Likes lean, well-drained soil. Hardy to zone 5.
Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.
Dates by zone: 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b
Growing basics
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Spacing
- 12 in
- Soil temperature
- At least 60°F
- Time to harvest
- About 70 days
- Containers
- At least 1 gallons
- Plant family
- Mint family (herbs)
- Harvest per plant
- About 0.2 lb
- Seeds keep
- About 3 years
Companions
Keep apart: Horseradish. Horseradish spreads aggressively. Give it its own spot.
Keep apart: Mint. Mint spreads aggressively into neighbors. Keep it in a pot.
Keep apart: Fennel (bulb). Fennel slows the growth of most garden plants. Grow it on its own.
Keep apart: Sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Sunchokes spread aggressively and shade neighbors.
Grow it well
Tips
- Grow herbs by the kitchen door. You'll use them far more if you can step out and snip some while dinner cooks. Basil, parsley, chives, and thyme all do well in pots.
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