Thyme

Used for culinary, medicinal and ornamental purposes, thyme leaves can be used fresh or dried to flavour soups, fish, meat and vegetable dishes.

You can buy ready-grown thyme plants, but it’s also easy to grow it from seed. Sow in early spring by filling small pots with seed sowing compost and scattering a few seeds over the surface. Cover with a layer of sieved compost, water and place it on a propagator to germinate. Wait until the seedlings are bigger and separate them in individual pots.

Plant out in a warm, sunny place. Thyme plants need a dry soil and they will rot in the winter if the ground is too wet. If you have a small garden or the soil is too heavy, grow thyme in pots: they will thrive in 15cm pots. Thyme can be picked all year round, but it will taste better in the ideal harvest period. You can use scissors to easily snip off the sprigs!

Top tips
– Thyme hates too much water, so be careful not to overwater.

– Create a barrier to protect the foliage from the wet soil by placing some horticultural grit or gravel around the plants.

– Always remove fallen leaves to avoid rotting.

Key timings