Herbs · Perennial
Thyme
Lamiaceae
At a glance
- Plant spacing
- 25 cm
- USDA zones
- 5a–10a
- Frost-sensitive
- no
- Growth duration
- 12 weeks
Which beds suit?
- Sun (prefers)
- full sunAlso okay:partial shade
- Soil (prefers)
- sandyAlso okay:loamyraised-bed mix
- Drainage (prefers)
- very free-draining
Seed & start
Perennial
Plant once, returns every year.
Stachi's tip
Thyme is the toughest Mediterranean herb. Survives -15 °C once established, wants a poor corner with no fertiliser. Works as ground cover; May flowers are a bee magnet.
The plant's year: sowing, transplanting, harvest
Sowing
Transplanting
Harvest
Good neighbours
Traditional recommendation. Rarely studied under controlled conditions — treat it as experience, not law.
Avoid these neighbours
No known conflicts.
Traditional recommendation. Rarely studied under controlled conditions — treat it as experience, not law.
Good pre-cultures
Stachi has no specific pre-cultures recorded.
Sources
- Kreuter, Bio-Garten
- Kosmos Gartenkalender
- LLM-Baseline-Intercrop
- LLM-Baseline-2026-05-09 yieldKg
- LLM-Baseline-2026-05-10 family-zehrer
- LLM-Baseline-2026-05-10 sun-soil-drainage
Where these figures come from
- Timing
- Horticulturally established — consistent across the cited standard works.
- Spacing
- Horticulturally established — consistent across the cited standard works.
- Companion planting
- Traditional recommendation. Rarely studied under controlled conditions — treat it as experience, not law.
- Crop rotation
- Traditional recommendation. Rarely studied under controlled conditions — treat it as experience, not law.
- Yield
- Limited evidence. This value is not backed by a specialist source — treat it as a pointer.
Sources: Kreuter, Bio-Garten · Kosmos Gartenkalender · LLM-Baseline-Intercrop · LLM-Baseline-2026-05-09 yieldKg · LLM-Baseline-2026-05-10 family-zehrer · LLM-Baseline-2026-05-10 sun-soil-drainage
Articles about this plant
Drying herbs in September: what works — and what doesn't
September is the last big window for thyme, oregano and rosemary. Dry them now and you'll have aromatic herbs from your own bed all winter. Wait too long and you're left with compost.
Basil is flowering: what to do right now — and why the flowers aren't the enemy
When basil starts flowering in July, most people think: it's done for. It's not. Two minutes and one cut — and the plant carries on. What's happening inside the plant and what I've learnt from it.
Related plants
Products mentioned in this post
- Plantura organic tomato seed set (10 varieties)Open-pollinated, good germination — robust for raised beds.
- Organic tomato seed set, 14 varieties
- Organic heirloom tomato seed set (Demeter, 12 varieties)
- Organic vegetable seed set, 10 varietiesCucumber, tomato, beetroot, broccoli, carrot, chard & more.