Thyme Herb Garden

Growing a Thyme Herb Garden

The history of thyme being used as a culinary herb can be traced back to the Romans who were known to add it to their cheeses and drinks. With a history as old as that… you can bet that this is one herb that will go fantastically well with any garden.

For gardeners interested in growing thyme, the first thing that you have to do is decide what species you want to grow. There are many kinds all with their own advantages:

  • Garden Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is a great culinary herb and the most common variety
  • Lemon Scented Thyme (T. citriodorus) has a great smell (Lemony!) and a flavorful taste.
  • Caraway Thyme (T. herba-barona) a delicious culinary variety, with a strong flavor and a powerful fragrance.
  • Woolly Thyme (T. pseudolanuginosus) used as a ground cover. Unfortunately it is not a good culinary herb, so is best avoided if that is your goal.

Growing Thyme In a Garden

The herb has many advantages for gardeners:

  • It is a perennial herb so if it is properly cared for it will last for longer than two years
  • It is highly drought and cold resistant so can grow even in tough conditions (It has been found on mountains!)
  • It has a strong flavor that is not lost when harvesting your herbs.
  • Some recipes require an entire sprig of thyme, so there is little waste.
  • Easily propagated by seeds or cuttings
  • It can be used in most styles of cooking
  • Thyme has nectar in it, so attracts honey bees to your garden

Like most herbs thyme prefers hot, sunny locations with adequate drainage. Even poor soils can support these herbs which is the best news for barron gardens. Plant in the spring and it then requires relatively little upkeep even in the cool winter. This is great news for herb gardeners as the plant can pretty much be left to itself and will grow. The plant can be harvested after a couple of months by simply snipping off the stems or the blossoms. It also survives reasonably well if you like growing herbs in pots with the only disadvantage being that some species require a lot of room. You may also need to use a flourescent light to aid growth.

Culinary Use

Thyme is a great herb for use in most kinds of cooking. It has a strong flavor so usually joins the strongly flavored meats such as lamb or beef. It can also be combined with other herbs to make mixtures such as herbes de provence  (A mixture of basil, fennel, lavender flowers, savory and thyme) as its strong flavor combines fantastically with other herbs.  It is also often used in tea herb gardening, the resultant tea being great for sore throats and inflamations.