How To Grow Thyme From Cuttings & Seed

Thyme is super easy to grow from cuttings and seeds both in pots indoors and outside in a little herb garden for a constant supply of fresh herbs.

And in this post I will share everything you need to know to help your thyme thrive including how to water, prune and harvest thyme PLUS the best companion plants for thyme in vegetable gardens and flower beds.

Growing Thyme From Cuttings

The quickest and easiest way to grow thyme for your herb garden is from cuttings in water. Thyme will not grow as quickly from cuttings as mint or oregano but you will still have a small plant with roots in 2 to 3 weeks, so it is quicker than growing thyme from seed.

All you need to do to grow thyme from cuttings in water is :

1. Take a few 3-5 inch cuttings from a thyme growing neighbour.
2. Cut just below a point where leaves are sprouting (a leaf node).
3. Avoid any very woody or very young weak stems.
4. Remove the lower leaves.
5. Put cuttings in a jar of water.
6. Keep in a sunny warm spot.
7. After 1-2 weeks roots will start to appear from old leaf nodes.
8. After 3 weeks roots will be long & strong enough to be planted.

You can now transplant your thyme into containers or an outdoor herb garden.

Growing Thyme Indoors

Thyme is very easy to grow indoors as it is one of the smaller herbs. It also likes warmth so will flourish indoors when too cold for it outdoors.

To grow thyme indoors successfully:

1. Start thyme from cuttings.
2. Transfer to small pot of soil with stones at bottom so drains well.
3. Place in a sunny spot.
4. Will flourish as long as temperature between 16c / 60 f and 32 c / 90 f.
5. Only water when soil is dry.
6. Prune all over in early spring and a third of the plant after flowering.
7. Divide plants every few years so don't over grow pot.

Growing Thyme From Seed

Thyme is easy to grow from seed but it isn't quick. Thyme seeds can take a month to germinate and only germinate reliably above 21c/70f. You will also need to wait until the second year after sowing to actually harvest your thyme!

So you will need to be patient growing thyme from seed. But the great advantage of growing thyme from seed is you can grow the varieties you actually love cooking with. (See Buying Thyme Seeds & Plants below for ideas).

If you do want to grow thyme from seed rather than cuttings :

1. Start sowing indoors from late winter to early spring.
2. Scatter a few seeds per small pot, cover very lightly with soil.
3. Water scarcely.
4. Plant out when temperature is consistently above 16c/60f in late spring and early summer.

What Soil Does Thyme Like

Thyme, like oregano, lavender and rosemary, is very happy in poor soil. You can grow thyme in any potting compost you have but it is best to mix in a good helping of grit, sand and pebbles to improve drainage.

Some gardeners recommend a regular seaweed feed for thyme grown in containers. But in my experience nitrogen feeds produce :

1. Loss of flavour.
2. Thin leggy plants
3. Too much soft growth which is vulnerable to bugs.

I recommend instead replacing the top inch of soil every year with a mix of:

• 50% potting soil
• 25% gardeners grit
• 25% sand.

This will ensure key minerals work their way down to the roots all year long. If your thyme leaves do yellow - and aren't a yellow variety - you may need to repot with the mix above to restore nitrogen and magnesium.

How To Water Thyme

Thyme needs very little water and is drought resistant. Thyme will only need watering outdoors if grown in containers. If you are growing thyme indoors or in containers outdoors only water scarcely when the soil is dry.

Don't plant thyme with other herbs that need plenty of water. e.g. mint, parsley & chives. It prefers other drought resistant herbs such as rosemary.

If you are growing thyme in a wetter climate, you may, unusually, want to give it some rain cover, so it doesn't get too wet. Soggy thyme plants can be vulnerable to blight and root rot.

When To Plant Thyme Outdoors

Thyme loves sunshine and warmth so only plant thyme seeds outdoors when the temperature is above 21c/70f. Transplant thyme seedlings outdoors when the temperature is consistently above 16c/60f in late spring and early summer.

Growing Thyme In Containers

Thyme grows well in containers and pots both indoors and outside. Key tips when growing thyme in pots are:

1. Choose clay pots that retain heat.
2. Ensure container drains well.
3. Add stone or grit to bottom so thyme roots don't sit in water.
4. Raise container on a few bricks for even better drainage.
5. Divide thyme plants in containers if they out grow the pot.

Thyme plants - unlike rosemary - are best kept small and thyme plants will thrive in small 5 inch (13-17cm) pots. If you plant your cuttings in 4 or 5 small pots you can use your thyme as a helpful companion plant in the vegetable garden to repel bugs.

As discussed above I would avoid feeding thyme plants in pots and just refresh top soil layer when needed.

What Does Thyme Grow Well With

Companion Plants

Thyme can be a very useful companion plant in the vegetable, fruit and flower garden as thymol repels a variety of garden pests :

• Cabbage & Collards : cabbage white caterpillars
• Roses : aphids
• Strawberries : slugs & snails
• Tomatoes : whitefly & hornworms
• Aubergine : flea beetles
• Potatoes : potato beetle
• Cucumbers : cucumber beetle

Thyme flowers can also help to attract pollinators to :

• Blueberries
• Chilli & bell peppers
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Zucchini.

You can intercrop small thyme plants from cuttings with strawberries and blueberries or as ground cover beneath roses or surround beds with thyme pots or a thyme hedge.

In A Herb Garden

Thyme is a must in any herb garden with its delicious flavouring and multiple health benefits. But that doesn't mean you can shove thyme in a herb garden with lots of other herbs and expect it to thrive, it won't!!

The two key things to remember growing thyme in a herb garden are it:

• Loves hot, sunny, near drought conditions with very little water.
• Is easily suffocated by bigger bullies or faster growing herbs.

The easiest way to grow thyme in a herb garden is in a container where it can do its own thing but if you do want to grow thyme in a herb bed:

1. Do NOT plant thyme with water loving herbs such as mint.
2. Do NOT plant thyme with large herbs e.g. rosemary or rapidly growing herbs e.g. sage.
3. DO plant thyme with other drought resistant herbs that don't grow too big or too quickly such as oregano, lavender and marjoram.

How To Prune Thyme

It's easy to forget to prune thyme or just not bother as it's not a big plant. But don't forget. Thyme does need pruning from its second year onwards.

Once the danger of frost is past prune thyme as follows:

1. Cut right back very woody stems with no new growth on them.
2. Cut right back any very long thin, spindly, woody stems.
3. Cut back non branching stems to just above the first pair of leaves.
4. Trim new growth all over to the first pair of leaves.

Prune one third of the plant again - cutting to the first pair of leaves - after flowering if you haven't harvested the thyme for drying or preserving.

Pruning so heavily will seem rather drastic but it will stimulate much healthier, thicker growth rather than lots of weedy, twisted stems.

How To Harvest Thyme

From the second year after planting, you can happily harvest thyme as and when you need it. Remember to cut to just above the first pair of leaves on a stem to stimulate stronger rather than thin spindly growth.

If you're harvesting thyme for drying or preserving, you want to harvest when the thyme's flavour is at its strongest, which you will typically find is :

1. At the beginning of summer
2. Just before flowering
3. In the morning.

Thyme Pests & Diseases

Thyme plants are typically pretty hardy and resilient and can actually handle as we've seen harsh treatment when you are pruning. When thyme does struggle wit pests and disease it is usually due to unnecessary feeding, over watering and poor pruning.

Common Pests

The pests you might see on unhealthy thyme plants are :

1. Spider mites
2. Aphids
3. Thrips
4. Whiteflies

Spider Mites

Tiny arachnids that thrive in dry conditions. They leave fine webbing and cause yellow stippling (dots) on the leaves.

Aphids

Small, pear-shaped insects that cluster on new growth to suck sap. They can cause leaves to curl and leave behind a sticky "honeydew."

Thrips

Slender insects that "rasp" the leaf surface, creating silvery streaks or small black spots of excrement.

Whiteflies

Tiny white moth-like insects that hide on the undersides of leaves. Like aphids, they suck sap and weaken the plant.

Common Diseases

Almost all the diseases thyme suffers from are down to over watering. If you've got a very wet spring or summer it may actually be worth bringing thyme plant indoors. Four diseases to watch out for in wet conditions are :

1. Root Rot (Phytophthora)
2. Botrytis (Gray Mold)
3. Powdery Mildew
4. Rust

Root Rot

The #1 killer of thyme. Caused by overwatering or poor drainage, it turns the roots mushy and the foliage yellow or brown.

Botrytis

A fungus that appears in humid, crowded conditions. It looks like a fuzzy gray growth on stems and leaves, eventually leading to decay.

Powdery Mildew

A white, flour-like dusting on the leaves. It rarely kills the plant but stunts growth and ruins the harvest.

Rust

Appears as small, reddish-orange pustules on the undersides of leaves. It's a fungal issue often caused by poor air circulation.

Buying Thyme Seeds & Plants

If you want to buy thyme seeds and plants to get a beautiful range of thyme flavours for the kitchen look out for these varieties.

• Common thyme : thymus vulgaris - pretty pink flowers.
• Archers gold thyme : thymus pulegioides - lilac flowers, lovely lemon scent and flavour.
• Wooly or wild thyme : thymus polytrichus - pink, purple & white flowers - very attractive to bees. Bright slightly floral flavour.
• Lemon thyme : thymus citriodorus - lovely powerful lemon fragrance, yellow edged leaves.
• Jekka thyme : thymus jekka - great clean, classic thyme taste, pink & white flowers.
• Snowdrift thyme : thymus serpyllum - very pretty white flowers. Delicate, slightly sweet, sometimes faintly citrusy or honeyed flavour.

Health Benefits Of Thyme

Once your thyme plants are thriving you can use your fresh herbs in all sorts of natural remedies as thyme as both a natural antibiotic and antihistamine.

Thyme can be used to ease everything from minor tummy bugs to mouth infections but really comes into its own in soothing sore throat tea.

I do hope you have success growing thyme from either cuttings or seeds and that your plants whether inside or outdoors really thrive so you can enjoy fresh herbs all year round.

For more simple tips do check out my other herb growing posts and follow my gardening board on Pinterest.

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