Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
About it
- Kind
- Herbs · Perennial
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Mature size
- to 1 ft × 18 in
- Hardiness zones
- Zones 5–9
- Sun
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 9 in apart, rows 12 in
- Soil depth in a pot
- At least 6 in
- Soil pH
- 6–7.5
- Water
- About every 7 days
When to plant
- Start indoors
- 10 weeks before planting out
- Plant out
- Plant out 3 weeks before the last frost
- Window
- Open for about 2 weeks
- Ready
- About 70 days from planting out
Based on your last frost date. Outside the US, check local advice.
Planting partners
What has been claimed about growing Thyme near other plants, grouped by how well it has been tested. Most companion planting advice has never been tested; the notes say which is which.
Tested in field trials
- With Broccoli Thyme planted with broccoli reduced cabbage looper and imported cabbageworm damage in an Iowa study. UMN Extension ↗
Tested in a greenhouse or lab
- With Brussels Sprouts Thyme planted with Brussels sprouts reduced diamondback moth numbers in a greenhouse study. UMN Extension ↗
Safety for pets and children
- Cats Listed as non-toxic to cats (NC State Extension)
- Dogs Listed as non-toxic to dogs (NC State Extension)
- Horses Listed as non-toxic to horses (NC State Extension)
- Children No information in our sources
Read from NC State Extension ↗.
"No information" means our sources do not say, not that the plant is harmless. A non-toxic listing is not a reason to let anyone eat a plant.
Pests and diseases
No pest or disease notes for Thyme yet.
Check the label and your local extension service before using any product.
Where this comes from
Source: The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗
- beginner friendly extension.psu.edu ↗ RHS: "attractive, compact and easy to grow"; Georgia and Penn State master gardeners both list thyme as a herb to start with
- beginner friendly site.extension.uga.edu ↗ RHS: "attractive, compact and easy to grow"; Georgia and Penn State master gardeners both list thyme as a herb to start with
- beginner friendly rhs.org.uk ↗ RHS: "attractive, compact and easy to grow"; Georgia and Penn State master gardeners both list thyme as a herb to start with
- family npgsweb.ars-grin.gov ↗ GRIN page: Thymus vulgaris L.
- maturity counted from The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗
- Most facts The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Backfilled by 0041. Pre-0041 rows recorded one source for the whole row; per-field attribution was never captured and is not invented here.
- sow window weeks The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ -3 through -2 inclusive
- toxicity NC State Extension ↗ non_toxic for cat, dog, horse from its "non-toxic for" tags. Page matched to this row by its recorded species; not cited by the row before this batch.
- transplant weeks rel last frost The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Almanac: "Plant cuttings or young thyme plants any time after the ground temperature reaches 70°F. This is usually 2 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost"