How to Grow Thyme
 - Herbs

Evergreen woody perennial
Up to 30cm tall and 50cm spread
Flowers: June - August
Full sun or semi-shade
The standard green type is much better for culinary use

Herbs:   Basil  |  Bay  |  Chives  |  Mint  |  Oregano  |  Parsley  |  Rosemary  |  Sage  |  All

Another herb that comes in many varied cultivated varieties as well as the simple original green-leaved version. Grow the basic green one from easy to germinate seeds for culinary use. They are fairly slow growing so best grown in the vegetable plot or somewhere they are not being ornamental as well so they don't look awful after you've chopped most of the leaves off. Many of the cultivated varieties are shorter and even slower growing though very pretty in their own right. They can be used in cooking but you won't get much from them and they'll take even longer to recover.

It is often said to be better to grown in pots as they over-winter better that way, something I believed for years until one year when some I had in the ground at the allotment were left in the ground over winter to see what happened. What happened was that the following spring they were in vigorously growing bright rude health by about April when my pot grown ones were literally half dead and very poorly looking. So I've only ever grown them in the ground ever since.

It is another worthy garden plant in its own right with edibility as a bonus. Often described as evergreen, I find it to be semi-evergreen in that most leaves are lost over the winter to grow again when spring arrives. It is a low creeping plant with pretty bee-magnet flowers. It is readily propagated by mounding up some soil over a prostrate stem where it touches the ground, leave it for a couple of months during the growing season and when you give it a little tug, you should find it has rooted and can be cut away from the main plant to be dug up and used elsewhere.

One of the herbs that I discover more and more uses for the longer I have it and the more of it I have. A good component herb along with sage and bay when added to sauces, gravies and stews, it is an excellent supporting player in these circumstances I have received many compliments from people who haven't specifically noted that there is any obvious thyme to the blend of flavours, though they would be much poorer without it. Recipes often call for the leaves to be stripped off the stems which can be a right pain, if the stems are young, they snap too easily, if the stems are older, they don't have many leaves. The older stems do however have the thyme flavour in the woody growth, so the easiest way to use them is to cut a single branched rather woody stem and put the whole thing in your cooking. The leaves will detach as it cooks, the flavour will come out and just before serving, you fish out the easily found stem and throw it away. Thyme is also a good addition to BBQ rubs and sauces.

Thyme seeds and plants to buy

Creeping Thyme £ 14.99	gin garnish kit rosemary & thyme £ 12.99	Thyme 'Old English' - Seeds £ 2.99
Thyme 'Silver Posie' £ 19.99	Thymus Thyme of Provence £ 3.19