Thyme

Thymus vulgaris

Thyme stays green all year, so you can pick it fresh in any season or dry it. It's a small shrub that needs sun and soil where water drains away fast. Wet ground in winter kills it more often than cold does. After a few years the plants turn woody. Replace them with new plants grown from cuttings.

Looking after it

Water: Thyme copes well with dry spells. Water new plants in dry weather until they settle in. After that, plants in the ground rarely need water. In a pot, water in hot, dry weather and let the compost dry out a little in between. Feeding: It needs very little food. Thyme grows best in poor soil, so don't feed it in the ground. Rich soil gives soft growth with less flavour. A plant that has been in the same pot for over a year can have a light sprinkle of general fertiliser in late spring.

Picking and keeping

Snip sprigs whenever you need them. The soft new growth of late spring and summer has the best flavour. Cutting it often keeps the plant compact. Trim it lightly after flowering, but don't cut into the bare wood. Fresh sprigs keep a few days in a bag in the fridge. To dry thyme, hang bunches in a warm, dark, airy place for a few weeks. Then keep the leaves in an airtight jar.

What can go wrong

Root rot. The plant wilts and turns brown from the base while the soil is wet. Grow it in soil that drains fast, a raised bed or a pot with grit mixed in. Never leave a pot standing in water.
Bare, woody plant. After a few years the middle of the plant goes bare and woody. Trim it lightly every year after flowering. Replace old plants with cuttings taken in late spring.
Rosemary beetle. Small beetles with metallic green and purple stripes eat the leaves from late summer to spring. Their grey grubs eat them too. Pick them off by hand or shake the plant over a sheet of paper.

Growing facts: RHS, UC ANR and seed-company sowing guides. Thyme care: RHS. pH: University of Connecticut soil testing lab.