Thyme is a very hardy and easy to grow herb. The word thyme comes from the Greek word “thymos” meaning spirit or smoke. Thyme survives below zero temperatures and is evergreen here in Texas. It likes full-sun and good drainage. There are many types of thyme. Some of the varieties include: French thyme, English thyme, German thyme, caraway thyme and lemon thyme.
Thyme is a very hardy and easy to grow herb. The word thyme comes from the Greek word “thymos” meaning spirit or smoke. Thyme survives below zero temperatures and is evergreen here in Texas. It likes full-sun and good drainage. There are many types of thyme. Some of the varieties include: French thyme, English thyme, German thyme, caraway thyme and lemon thyme.
Some thymes creep along the ground forming 6″ to 8″ tall spreading carpets and others grow into a 1.5′ clump. The carpet-like varieties look nice planted at the front of a garden bed, in a rock garden or between paving stones. Thyme blooms in mid-spring and attracts lots of honey bees. Thyme honey is considered some of the very best.
The easiest ways to propagate or multiply thyme are by root division or rooting cuttings in water.
To Propagate Thyme by Root Division:
Lift up the plant and find the places where the roots are growing into the ground. You will notice that there will be roots coming down from the carpet of thyme every foot or so. Place your shovel about 5″ from the root system of the plant you want to separate and push the shovel all the way into the ground. Lift the shovel at an angle to separate the root system of the plant you want from the rest of the carpet. Now plant this newly separated plant in your garden. Choose a place where the thyme can spread a couple of feet or so over time. Water the new plant thoroughly.
To Propagate Thyme from Cuttings:
Cut a non-woody 6″ sprig of thyme from the parent plant. Remove the last 2 or 3 inches of leaves. Put your sprigs into a clear glass or plastic container and add enough water to cover the area where the leaves were removed. Sit your thyme sprigs on a window sill or other sunny place outside to root. Watch the water level and do not let it evaporate and if the water turns dark, refresh it with new water. In a couple of weeks roots will emerge from the places where the leaves were removed. When the roots are at least 1″ long plant the thyme sprigs in your garden. After planting, water the new thyme plants with the water they were rooting in and extra water if needed.
How to Harvest and Use Thyme
Thyme is best used fresh. Cut thyme leaves any time of the year that you need them. To use thyme fresh, cut the sprigs you need with scissors, wash, and then strip the leaves from the stems and cut the leaves to help release more flavor. Use thyme early in the recipe to help balance out its strong taste and to give it time to adequately infuse the food.
Thyme can also be frozen, refrigerated and dried and bottled for later use.
Check out this video for more detailed instructions and tips:
26 Responses
Thank you for you including the rosemary drying process in your video! Gave me that little push to trying this out myself. 🙂
Nice one
I love thyme! I don’t live in Texas and I don’t grow it myself but I love using fresh thyme in my cooking!
This is great info!
Too bad they didn’t teach us life skills like this in school. Planting a garden would be a great thing to learn for all of humanity especially in poorer countries.
It almost looks like it grows wild!
I didn’t realize that Thyme could be propagated by cuttings! I am definitely going to try that. Thank you so much for the helpful info.
i love lemon thyme and plant where it can be stepped on and smell wonderful
thanks for the information! I love thyme and frequently freeze it in ice trays. When I’m making stews or soup, I simply toss an ice cube in the pot!
Thank you for the info, I think I will try this in my rock garden.
I didn’t know that thyme could be propagated by cutting and division, thanks for the details on each.
I have never tried growing my own herbs.
didn’t know you can grow thyme in texas, i thought is was to hot to do that.
Thanks for the info! I’ll have to try freezing it next time I have a surplus.
Wow where has this article been all my live. No more buying thyme for me. Thank you for this, very informative
thanks for the great info! I’m not quite ready to start growing more herbs but maybe next year!
Hoping my two potted thyme plants come back after winter in NJ
Really like Brenda King idea of freezing thyme in cube trays and use as needed – No worry that it will grow ‘stale’ on the shelf. I love to cook, but haven’t used thyme much. This article gives me a new perspective on the herb. Thanks!
I would have no idea that it Thyme growing there. Great informations!
Thank you for the great information, I think I will try this in my rock garden.
This was so helpful. I want a herb garden.
Thank you for the information.
Sharing this with a friend who I know just loves Thyme.
cook with thyme
Good garden tips
Great info. I don’t grow thyme, but love using it when I cook!