GardenPerennial Herb · zones 5–9 · 20 varieties
Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
Lamiaceae — the same plant family as english lavender, basil, bee balm, mint and 11 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is a perennial herb for USDA zones 5–9. It wants full sun and pH 6–8 soil, with about 0.5–1 in of water weekly. Watch for spider mites and root rot. Below: its full sourced profile from 10 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.
Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is started indoors. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.
What we will not put a number on
We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.
We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.
Site & soil
- Hardiness zones
- 5–9
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6–8
- Soil texture
- Loam, Sandy, Well drained
- Frost tolerance
- Hardy
No published figure for the temperature frost starts to hurt it and the temperature that would kill it. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.
The plant
- Mature height
- 6–12 in
- Mature spread
- 6–16 in
- Growth rate
- Moderateest
- Spacing in row
- 6–12 in
- Between rows
- 12–18 in
- Planting depth
- 0–0.125 inest
- Container size
- 2–3 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is better
- Support
- Self-supportingest
- Grown from
- Transplant, Direct sow, Division, Cutting
Water & feeding
- Water needs
- Low
- Water per week
- 0.5–1 in/wkest
- Critical water
- Establishmentest
- Feeding
- Low
Timing & fruiting
- Harvest cues
- Flower buds
Edible parts per source: leaf.
Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.
Different parts differ — the edible part is the leaf; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.
PetsNon toxic to dogs, Non toxic to cats, Non toxic to horses
Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).
| Variety | Type | Habit | Days | Color | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archer's Gold | Creeping | — | Bicolor | Rare Roots describes this asgrown to look at | |
| Caraway | Specialty-Scented | Creeping | — | Mountain Valley Growers describes this asgrown for cooking | |
| Coconut | Creeping | — | Purple | Mountain Valley Growers describes this asdraws bees and butterflies · grown to look at | |
| Creeping | Creeping | Prostrate | — | Red, Purple | NC State Extension records this asdraws bees and butterflies · gets by on less water |
| Doone Valley | Lemon | Creeping | — | Bicolor | Mountain Valley Growers describes this asgrown to look at · draws bees and butterflies |
| Elfin | Creeping | Prostrate | — | Mountain Valley Growers describes this assmall enough for a pot · smaller than most | |
| English Heirloom | Culinary | Upright | — | Mountain Valley Growers describes this asgrown for cooking | |
| French Heirloom | Culinary | Mounding | — | One Green World describes this asgrown for cooking | |
| German Winter Heirloom | Culinary | Upright | — | Mountain Valley Growers describes this asgrown for cooking | |
| Golden Lemon | Lemon | Upright | — | Bicolor | Plant Central describes this asdraws bees and butterflies |
| Golden | Culinary | Upright | — | Bicolor | MyGardenLife describes this asdraws bees and butterflies |
| Lemon | Lemon | Spreading | — | Mountain Valley Growers describes this asgrown for cooking · strongly scented | |
| Nutmeg | Specialty-Scented | Creeping | — | Pink | Planted Places describes this asgets by on less water · draws bees and butterflies |
| Orange Balsam | Specialty-Scented | Upright | — | Mountain Valley Growers describes this asgrown for cooking | |
| Pink Chintz | Creeping | — | Pink | Mountain Valley Growers describes this assmaller than most | |
| Reiter's | Creeping | Creeping | — | Mountain Valley Growers describes this asgets by on less water | |
| Silver Lemon | Lemon | Spreading | — | White | One Green World describes this asgets by on less water |
| Silver | Culinary | Upright | — | White | Mountain Valley Growers describes this asgrown for cooking |
| Spicy Orange | Specialty-Scented | Creeping | — | Plant Delights Nursery (perennials.com) describes this asdraws bees and butterflies · gets by on less water | |
| Woolly | Prostrate | — | White | Mountain Valley Growers describes this asgrown to look at · smaller than most |
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
- Johnny's Selected Seeds
- NC State Extension
- Penn State Extension
- University of Illinois Extension
- University of Maryland Extension
We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 14 of the 19 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.
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