🌿HerbsVery hardy
When to plant Thyme
Default: central Europe (50°N)· 50.0°N
Last spring frost: 5 May
First autumn frost: 5 Oct
Frost-free season: 153 days
Calendar windows
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSeptOctNovDec
Sow indoors
10 Mar – 31 Mar
Plant out
12 May – 19 Jun
Dates shift with your latitude — they are calculated from your local last-spring-frost date, not from a fixed calendar.
At a glance
Light
Full sun
Water needs
Low
Frost hardiness
Very hardy
Overwinters outdoors in a temperate garden.
Life cycle
Shrub
Spacing
30 × 40 cm
Sowing depth
0.3 cm
Soil pH
6.0–8.0
Containers
Great in pots
Plant family
Mint family
Practical notes
Poor, sharply drained, alkaline soil gives the most aromatic plants — feed it and you get soft, flavourless growth that rots in winter. Trim lightly after flowering to stop it going woody.
Knowing when to pick
Pick sprigs any time, but the oils are strongest just before the flowers open on a dry morning.
Storing the crop
One of the best herbs for drying — it keeps its flavour for a year in a sealed jar out of the light.
Crop rotation
Mostly perennial — give them a permanent sunny spot rather than a rotation slot.
Grows well with
Keep apart from
Watch for
Full guide: thyme diseases and pests (2) → with spread routes, compost verdicts and the prevention this list justifies.