Thyme: Common (Thymus vulgaris)
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Native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean, thyme has a well established reputation for providing healing and protection; it also symbolizes courage, bravery, and strength. For centuries, soldiers would wear or carry sprigs of thyme with them to battle with the belief that the herb would protect them from danger. For culinary use, it is most often paired with lamb, poultry, or lemon; thyme makes one of the finest flavors of honey, and the plant attracts many bees. Medieval herbalists treated poisonous stings or bites with this herb, or burned it to purify the air. During the time of the Black Death, thyme became a major ingredient in many treatments for the disease. Whether or not it actually performed a cure, recent research confirms that thyme contains a very powerful antiseptic that may have medical benefits; records show several instances of thyme syrup completely curing whooping cough within a week. Though culinary use is fine, pregnant women should not take medicinal doses of thyme.
Scientific Name: Thymus vulgaris
Also Known As: Garden Thyme
Native Range: Southern Europe
Ease of Growing: Moderate
Grown as: Perennial
Maturity (Blooms): May to July
Hardiness: Half Hardy. Thyme is very hardy and will grow under most conditions, but this variety is not as hardy as other varieties.
Crops: Spring Transplant
Growing Season: Short, Long
Growing Conditions: Cold, Cool, Warm, Hot. Thyme is a Mediterranean plant and likes warm, dry conditions.
Outdoor Growing Temp: 60°F - 90°F
Min Outdoor Soil Temp: 60°F. Plant outdoors once the soil reaches 60˚F.
Start Indoors: Yes
Start Outdoors: No
Light: Full Sun. Min. 6 hours daily (Cool, Warm, Hot). It does best in full sun, but will tolerate some shade.
Water: Low to medium. Thyme is quite drought tolerant so only needs an occasional watering once established.
Soil Moisture: Dry to medium. Well drained.
Feeder: Light. Thyme will grow well in poor soil and doesn't need much fertilization.
Suitability: Drought tolerant, Tolerates light frost, High heat.
Small Gardens?: Yes
Attracts Beneficial Insects?: Yes
Containers?: Yes. Thyme is a perfect candidate for container growing and doesn't need much attention. Choose a well-draining container that is at least 10" deep and fill with potting soil. Keep the soil moist but not overly wet and fertilize occasionally.
Height: 12-18"
Spacing: 9-12"
Sow Depth: 1/4"
Hardiness Zone: 5-12
Produces: a short shrub with small, grayish green leaves and clusters of pink or purple flowers.
Garden Uses: Best in herb gardens or vegetable gardens. Foliage has excellent ornamental value, however, and plants can also be effectively grown in rock gardens or border fronts. May be grown indoors in pots in a sunny kitchen window.
Also Known As: Garden Thyme
Native Range: Southern Europe
Ease of Growing: Moderate
Grown as: Perennial
Maturity (Blooms): May to July
Hardiness: Half Hardy. Thyme is very hardy and will grow under most conditions, but this variety is not as hardy as other varieties.
Crops: Spring Transplant
Growing Season: Short, Long
Growing Conditions: Cold, Cool, Warm, Hot. Thyme is a Mediterranean plant and likes warm, dry conditions.
Outdoor Growing Temp: 60°F - 90°F
Min Outdoor Soil Temp: 60°F. Plant outdoors once the soil reaches 60˚F.
Start Indoors: Yes
Start Outdoors: No
Light: Full Sun. Min. 6 hours daily (Cool, Warm, Hot). It does best in full sun, but will tolerate some shade.
Water: Low to medium. Thyme is quite drought tolerant so only needs an occasional watering once established.
Soil Moisture: Dry to medium. Well drained.
Feeder: Light. Thyme will grow well in poor soil and doesn't need much fertilization.
Suitability: Drought tolerant, Tolerates light frost, High heat.
Small Gardens?: Yes
Attracts Beneficial Insects?: Yes
Containers?: Yes. Thyme is a perfect candidate for container growing and doesn't need much attention. Choose a well-draining container that is at least 10" deep and fill with potting soil. Keep the soil moist but not overly wet and fertilize occasionally.
Height: 12-18"
Spacing: 9-12"
Sow Depth: 1/4"
Hardiness Zone: 5-12
Produces: a short shrub with small, grayish green leaves and clusters of pink or purple flowers.
Garden Uses: Best in herb gardens or vegetable gardens. Foliage has excellent ornamental value, however, and plants can also be effectively grown in rock gardens or border fronts. May be grown indoors in pots in a sunny kitchen window.
Start thyme herb seeds indoors 5-6 weeks before the last frost, sowing them 1/4" deep in a flat. Keep them out of direct sunlight, but make sure the soil temperature is at least 70 degrees F. Germination may take up to 28 days. Well after the last frost, transplant the seedlings 9-12" apart in sandy soil and full sun. Direct sowing is possible but not recommended, since the seeds take much longer to germinate in the cool soil of spring; this significantly shortens the growing season and delays the harvest of fresh leaves. Thyme also grows well as a container plant, and can be propogated from cuttings or root division. As a companion plant, thyme attracts bees and discourages harmful insects such as the cabbage butterfly.
Make sure the seedlings have adequate moisture, but as soon as they are established do not water them. Thyme thrives on neglect, preferring dry soil with no fertilization. If the soil becomes too wet, the plant may suffer from root rot or other fungal diseases. Control weeds to prevent them from competing with the slow developing thyme. Mulch may help to keep the leaves clean and discourage weeds. After the second spring of the plants' growth, prune the plants down to half their height to encourage tender stems and neat growth.
Thyme is an easy crop to grow, and requires little care. If Thyme starts to get woody cut it back to within a couple of inches of the ground and it will regenerate. You can also dig it up, divide it and replant the most vigorous pieces.
Water Needs: Low. Thyme is quite drought tolerant so only needs an occasional watering once established.
Fertilizer Needs: Light. Thyme will grow well in poor soil and doesn't need much fertilization.
Watering: Water, 0.5 inch(es), every 2 weeks. Just give Thyme enough water so it doesn't dry up completely. Too much water will cause the roots to rot (and it generally tastes better if it doesn't have much water). If you're in a hotter place where the soil dries quickly, or you're container gardening, water more frequently.
Pruning: 1 time. If it starts to get woody, prune in spring to encourage new growth.
Support: No
Water Needs: Low. Thyme is quite drought tolerant so only needs an occasional watering once established.
Fertilizer Needs: Light. Thyme will grow well in poor soil and doesn't need much fertilization.
Watering: Water, 0.5 inch(es), every 2 weeks. Just give Thyme enough water so it doesn't dry up completely. Too much water will cause the roots to rot (and it generally tastes better if it doesn't have much water). If you're in a hotter place where the soil dries quickly, or you're container gardening, water more frequently.
Pruning: 1 time. If it starts to get woody, prune in spring to encourage new growth.
Support: No
Harvesting
Water Needs: Low. Thyme is quite drought tolerant so only needs an occasional watering once established.
Fertilizer Needs: Light. Thyme will grow well in poor soil and doesn't need much fertilization.
Watering: Water, 0.5 inches, every 2 weeks. Just give Thyme enough water so it doesn't dry up completely. Too much water will cause the roots to rot (and it generally tastes better if it doesn't have much water). If you're in a hotter place where the soil dries quickly, or you're container gardening, water more frequently.
Pruning: 1 time. If it starts to get woody, prune in spring to encourage new growth.
Support: No.
Fertilizer Needs: Light. Thyme will grow well in poor soil and doesn't need much fertilization.
Watering: Water, 0.5 inches, every 2 weeks. Just give Thyme enough water so it doesn't dry up completely. Too much water will cause the roots to rot (and it generally tastes better if it doesn't have much water). If you're in a hotter place where the soil dries quickly, or you're container gardening, water more frequently.
Pruning: 1 time. If it starts to get woody, prune in spring to encourage new growth.
Support: No.
Storage
Thyme is good fresh or dried. It is a traditional ingredient of “Fines Herbes”, and Bouquet Garni.
Storage Req: Dry
Storage Temp: 50-70°F
Storage Length: 1-180 days
Storage Req: Dry
Storage Temp: 50-70°F
Storage Length: 1-180 days
When flowers are dry, crush them in a bag or over a bowl. Be sure to collect seeds before they fall from the plant.
Seed Viability in Years: 3 - 4 years
Seed Viability in Years: 3 - 4 years
Culinary
Taste:
Lovely thyme flavor.
Culinary Use:
Thyme is widely used in cooking, fresh or dried. The herb is a basic ingredient in many dishes from around the Mediterranean region, and is especially compatible with lamb, tomatoes and eggs. You can also use it to flavor stews, soups, sauces, meat, fish, vegetables, salads, or flavoring for vinegar.
Lovely thyme flavor.
Culinary Use:
Thyme is widely used in cooking, fresh or dried. The herb is a basic ingredient in many dishes from around the Mediterranean region, and is especially compatible with lamb, tomatoes and eggs. You can also use it to flavor stews, soups, sauces, meat, fish, vegetables, salads, or flavoring for vinegar.
Medicinal
Common thyme has a very long history of folk use for a wide range of ailments. It is very rich in essential oils and these are the active ingredients responsible for most of the medicinal properties. In particular, thyme is valued for its antiseptic and antioxidant properties, it is an excellent tonic and is used in treating respiratory diseases and a variety of other ailments. The flowering tops are anthelmintic, strongly antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, deodorant, diaphoretic, disinfectant, expectorant, sedative and tonic. The plant is used internally in the treatment of dry coughs, whooping cough, bronchitis, bronchial catarrh, asthma, laryngitis, indigestion, gastritis and diarrhea and enuresis in children. It should not be prescribed for pregnant women. Externally, it is used in the treatment of tonsillitis, gum diseases, rheumatism, arthritis and fungal infections. The plant can be used fresh at any time of the year, or it can be harvested as it comes into flower and either be distilled for the oil or dried for later use. Thyme has an antioxidant effect, thus regular use of this herb improves the health and longevity of individual body cells and therefore prolongs the life of the body. The essential oil is strongly antiseptic. The whole herb is used in the treatment of digestive disorders, sore throats, fevers etc. The essential oil is one of the most important oils used in aromatherapy. Its keyword is "Bacterial". It is used especially in cases of exhaustion, depression, upper respiratory tract infections, skin and scalp complaints etc. The oil can cause allergic reactions and irritation to the skin and mucous membranes.
Project Purity Seeds can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Companion Planting
Allies: Companion gardeners recommend planting thyme with just about everything in the garden; this herb is said to improve flavor and repel pets. Eggplants cabbage, potatoes, and tomatoes are often mentioned as companions. Scientific evidence is sparse; in one study, the presence of thyme appeared to increase the population of cabbageworms on neighboring plants. Another study suggests that thyme sprays may be more effective at masking plants from pests that seek hosts by smell.
Companions: Grow only nonspreading types of this herb in the vegetable garden. Common thyme (Thymus vulgaris), an upright, shrubby type, is a good choice for interplanting with vegetables. Spreading, mat-forming thymes, such as the popular wooly thyme (T. pseudolanuginosus), are best kept in separate beds or in the herb and flower garden.
Enemies: None known.
Companions: Grow only nonspreading types of this herb in the vegetable garden. Common thyme (Thymus vulgaris), an upright, shrubby type, is a good choice for interplanting with vegetables. Spreading, mat-forming thymes, such as the popular wooly thyme (T. pseudolanuginosus), are best kept in separate beds or in the herb and flower garden.
Enemies: None known.
Problems
No serious problems. Some susceptibility to root rot, particularly if soil is too moist.
Nutrition
Thyme is rich in many vitamins and minerals. Thyme contains Thymol, an essential oil with antiseptic and antifungal properties. It's also high in antioxidants.
Health Benefits of Thyme
Anti-fungal Ability: The most famous active ingredient found in thyme is thymol. This organic compound has a wide range of effects on the body, including the ability to prevent fungal and viral infections, thereby reducing strain on the immune system.
Antioxidant Capacity: With one of the highest antioxidant concentrations in any herb, thyme has been praised for thousands of years as an overall health booster. The phenolic antioxidants found in thyme, including lutein, zeaxanthin, and thymonin all contribute to neutralizing and eliminating free radicals throughout the body. Free radicals are the dangerous byproducts of cellular metabolism that can do major damage to your healthy cells by causing apotosis or spontaneous mutation. These antioxidants help to prevent oxidative stress in all of your organ systems, as well as your neural pathways, heart, eyes, and skin.
Circulation: The high concentration of iron and other essential minerals in thyme make it ideal for stimulating the production of red blood cells, thereby boosting your body’s circulations and the oxygenation of essential organ systems and extremities throughout the body.
Heart Health: The rich blend of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins in thyme have many small effects on the heart, but the potassium and manganese are particularly important. Potassium is a vasodilator, meaning that it can reduce the stress on the cardiovascular system by relaxing blood vessels and lowering blood pressure. This can extend your life by preventing atherosclerosis and avoiding strokes, heart attacks, and coronary heart disease.
Vision Booster: The concentration of carotenoids and vitamin A found in thyme make it an effective antioxidant agent for your visions health. Carotenoids can neutralize the free radicals in your ocular system and slow the onset of macular degeneration and prevent cataracts!
Immune System: The high levels of vitamin C found in sage make it a natural immune system booster. Vitamin C stimulates the production of white blood cells, which are the first line of defense in the body’s immune system. Vitamin C also plays a crucial part in the production of collagen, which is essential for the creation and repair of cells, muscles, tissues, and blood vessels.
Reduce Stress: One of the vitamins in thyme (B6) has a powerful effect on certain neurotransmitters in the brain that are directly linked to stress hormones. Regular inclusion of thyme in your diet can help to boost your mood and ease your mind when stressful thoughts come calling.
Respiratory Issues: One of the most well known and long-standing uses for thyme in traditional medicine is as a respiratory health agent. If you are suffering from bronchitis, chronic asthma, congestion, colds, flus, blocked sinuses, or seasonal allergies, thyme acts as an expectorant and an anti-inflammatory substance, eliminating phlegm and mucus from the respiratory tracts, easing inflammation to help breathing, and prevent microbial development that can lead to illness. Brewing thyme leaves into a powerful tea is the best way to achieve this sort of relief for respiratory ailments.
A Final Word of Warning: For those with sensitive stomachs, high intake of thyme can cause gastrointestinal distress, but generally, this herb is not known as an allergenic substance and can be consumed regularly in your diet.
Antioxidant Capacity: With one of the highest antioxidant concentrations in any herb, thyme has been praised for thousands of years as an overall health booster. The phenolic antioxidants found in thyme, including lutein, zeaxanthin, and thymonin all contribute to neutralizing and eliminating free radicals throughout the body. Free radicals are the dangerous byproducts of cellular metabolism that can do major damage to your healthy cells by causing apotosis or spontaneous mutation. These antioxidants help to prevent oxidative stress in all of your organ systems, as well as your neural pathways, heart, eyes, and skin.
Circulation: The high concentration of iron and other essential minerals in thyme make it ideal for stimulating the production of red blood cells, thereby boosting your body’s circulations and the oxygenation of essential organ systems and extremities throughout the body.
Heart Health: The rich blend of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins in thyme have many small effects on the heart, but the potassium and manganese are particularly important. Potassium is a vasodilator, meaning that it can reduce the stress on the cardiovascular system by relaxing blood vessels and lowering blood pressure. This can extend your life by preventing atherosclerosis and avoiding strokes, heart attacks, and coronary heart disease.
Vision Booster: The concentration of carotenoids and vitamin A found in thyme make it an effective antioxidant agent for your visions health. Carotenoids can neutralize the free radicals in your ocular system and slow the onset of macular degeneration and prevent cataracts!
Immune System: The high levels of vitamin C found in sage make it a natural immune system booster. Vitamin C stimulates the production of white blood cells, which are the first line of defense in the body’s immune system. Vitamin C also plays a crucial part in the production of collagen, which is essential for the creation and repair of cells, muscles, tissues, and blood vessels.
Reduce Stress: One of the vitamins in thyme (B6) has a powerful effect on certain neurotransmitters in the brain that are directly linked to stress hormones. Regular inclusion of thyme in your diet can help to boost your mood and ease your mind when stressful thoughts come calling.
Respiratory Issues: One of the most well known and long-standing uses for thyme in traditional medicine is as a respiratory health agent. If you are suffering from bronchitis, chronic asthma, congestion, colds, flus, blocked sinuses, or seasonal allergies, thyme acts as an expectorant and an anti-inflammatory substance, eliminating phlegm and mucus from the respiratory tracts, easing inflammation to help breathing, and prevent microbial development that can lead to illness. Brewing thyme leaves into a powerful tea is the best way to achieve this sort of relief for respiratory ailments.
A Final Word of Warning: For those with sensitive stomachs, high intake of thyme can cause gastrointestinal distress, but generally, this herb is not known as an allergenic substance and can be consumed regularly in your diet.
An essential oil from the leaves is frequently used in perfumery, soaps, toothpastes, mouthwashes, medicinally etc. It has fungicidal properties and is also used to prevent mildew. The leaves are dried and used in potpourri. The plant makes an attractive ground cover for a sunny position. The dried flowers are used to repel moths from clothing whilst the growing plant is said to repel cabbage root fly.
Suggested Varieties
Cabbage: Early Jersey Wakefield (Heirloom) (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)
$1.00 - $5.60
The first Early Jersey Wakefield cabbages were raised in 1840 by a man named Francis Brill of Jersey City, New Jersey. Thirty years later, seed companies all over the region offered this seed for sale; growers appreciated its early harvest and small, tender heads.
Cabbage: Late Flat Dutch (Heirloom) (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)
$1.00 - $5.60
Late Flat Dutch cabbage can be traced back to 1840, when the earliest mention of this variety is found in the seed records of the Netherlands. German immigrants carried the seed with them to America, where it spread; by 1924, it could be found in local seed catalogs such as D. M. Ferry & Company.
Cabbage: Red Acre (Heirloom) (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)
$1.00 - $5.60
Cabbage is considered one of the oldest cultivated vegetables, since historians trace it back to 4,000 BC in China. The Romans also cultivated it and praised it for its healing qualities; philosophers Pythagoras and Cato both made the lowly cabbage the subject of a book. Jacques Cartier brought the first cabbage to America in 1536. Cabbages were quite popular in colonial America, being pickled and preserved in every possible way to provide food for the winter.
Cabbage, Chinese: Pak Choi (Heirloom) (Brassica rapa var. chinensis)
$1.00 - $5.60
Chinese cabbage dates back to the 15th century in China, when a pharmacologist of the Ming Dynasty considered it nutritionally beneficial. Later it became the main ingredient in kim chi, the national dish of Korea; Japanese soldiers also discovered Chinese cabbage and took it home with them after the war. Americans became familiar with this vegetable in the late 19th century.
Eggplant: Black Beauty (Heirloom) (Solanum melongena var. esculentum)
$1.00 - $5.60
Eggplants date back to medieval times where they were called mad apples. A staple of regions of Asia, known as the "king of vegetables". Eggplant comes in all shapes colors and sizes. Black Beauty is one of the earliest and dates back to the early 1900's.
Eggplant: Golden Egg (Solanum Melongena)
$1.00 - $5.60
Ornamental Eggplant is a very unique tropical annual that produce purple flowers and egg-shaped, edible fruit that begin white and turn golden upon maturity. Excellent choices for pots and containers, ornamental hedge, or house plant.
Eggplant: Long Purple (Heirloom) (Solanum melongena)
$1.00 - $5.60
This Italian heirloom eggplant, Long Purple, produces dark purple cucumber-shaped fruit with firm, mild flesh. Good yields, especially in northern climates! Plants will typically produce 4 or more 8-10" fruits with harvest beginning in 70 to 80 days. Average water needs. Some parts of plant are poisonous if ingested.
Tomato: Amana Orange (Heirloom) (Lycopersicon lycopersicum)
$1.00 - $5.60
The Amana Orange tomato is an Iowa heirloom obtained from Gary Staley of Brandon, Florida, who named it for the Amana Colonies of Amana, Iowa. The Amana Colonies, a National Historic Landmark since 1965, were completely self sufficient German Pietist communities. The Colonies imported with them their traditions and handcrafts from Germany, including heirloom vegetables such as Amana Orange.
Tomato: Beefsteak (Heirloom) (Lycopersicon lycopersicum)
$1.00 - $5.60
Seed expert Peter Henderson introduced this tomato in 1894, naming it "Henderson's Crimson Cushion." Later renamed Beefsteak, it became a favorite of gardeners in the Northeast. It was developed for resistance to fusarium wilt and nematodes, as well as meaty flesh for eating fresh or cooking.
Tomato: Green Zebra (Heirloom) (Lycopersicon lycopersicum)
$1.00 - $5.60
Seed expert Tom Wagner of Everett, Washington bred Green Zebra from several green tomato varieties, including Evergreen. Since he was young, Tom had been fascinated with green tomatoes, but was disappointed with their tendency to crack. He set out to create a new green tomato, and Green Zebra was the result; he first offered it for sale in his seed catalog in 1983.
Tomato: Sweetie Cherry (Heirloom) (Lycopersicon lycopersicum)
$1.00 - $5.60
The Heirloom Sweetie Cherry Tomato has a firm texture and was produced for commercial sale in 1980. These succulent fruits can grow up to 1" in diameter, and even though they aren't very big, they still have incredibly high sugar content.
Tomato: Yellow Pear (Heirloom) (Lycopersicon lycopersicum)
$1.00 - $5.60
History well documents the Yellow Pear tomato, indicating the presence of this variety in Europe as early as the 17th century. The earliest known reference to this heirloom in North America comes from the sale records of the Hudson Bay Company in Vancouver, Canada. Numerous heirloom seed companies in the United States still offer Yellow Pear as an unusual, delicious little tomato.