Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
Lamiaceae · mint family
- Matures
- 90–95 days
- Harvest
- Continuous · Perennial
- Sun
- 6–8+ hrs
- Spacing
- 12–24 in
Planting window
When to sow, by microclimate — foggier blocks run a different calendar than sunnier ones.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foggy | ◐ | ● | ● | ◐ | ||
| Sunny | ◐ | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foggy | ◐ | ◐ | ● | ◐ | ||
| Sunny | ● | ● | ● | ● | ◐ |
Sunlight
How well it does at each level of direct sun per day.
Soil depth
Root room it needs — useful for sizing raised beds and containers.
Spacing
Room each plant needs — along the row and between rows — for sizing beds.
- In-row
- 12–24 in
- Between rows
- 12–24 in
Growth habit
The shape it makes in the bed and how tall it gets — what tells you whether to give it a trellis, a stake, or just room.
- Habit
- Low mound
- Mature height
- 6–12 in
Low and self-supporting — no staking needed.
How to start it
Sow it where it grows, or raise it under cover and set it out — and how far ahead to start the seedlings if it's the latter.
- Usually
- Transplant
Goes in as a rooted start, cutting, or division rather than raised from seed.
Getting started
How it goes in the ground — how deep to sow or set it, and the soil temperature it needs to wake up. The cold-soil floor is the real limiter for direct-sowing in a foggy SF spring.
- Started from
- From seed
- Ideal soil temp
- 59–68°F
- Sow depth
- 0–0.125 in
- Time to emerge
- 7–14 days
Germinates between 59–68°F; happiest around 59–68°F.
Pests & diseases
What tends to trouble this crop — what it is, what you'll see, and what to do about it, least-toxic first.
Our sources document no specific pests or diseases for this crop; it's generally grown without major pest trouble in home gardens.
Sources
Every figure above is backed by these.
- UC Master Gardeners, Marin Countybacks plantingWindow, sunlight, inRowSpacing, startMethod · UC Marin MG Thyme grow sheet (coastal Bay Area): 'Plant thyme by seeds, starts, or cuttings in late spring and/or early fall' (set-out season anchor); 'Does well in rocky soil and full sun' (sunlight); 'Plant seeds or cuttings 12 inches apart' (spacing floor); 'Prefers sandy, well amended, fast draining soil'. Set out from transplant/start/cutting, not direct seed. Thyme dislikes constant fog/damp, so the foggy month map is narrower and prefers the warm/sunny microclimate; wet-winter months = no (rot/drainage risk). Month-level split is inferred from the season statement, not month-sourced. Start method: UC Marin MG thyme: 'Thyme can be challenging to start from seed as it has slow, uneven germination' and 'Starts and cuttings are faster and easier' — hence seed rated marginal, starts usual, and no under-cover lead time published.
- UC Master Gardeners, Santa Clara Countybacks plantingWindow, sunlight, inRowSpacing, rowSpacing · UC MG Santa Clara Thyme (herbs): Light 'Full sun'; 'Space plants 12 to 24 inches apart, depending on variety' (spacing range); Plant type 'Perennial, evergreen, woody'; 'Direct seed after the last frost date in spring, or sow seeds indoors 6-8 weeks prior to the last frost date' (corroborates spring set-out). South Bay runs warmer than foggy SF; used for agronomy and season, not month calibration. Between-row spacing is taken equal to the in-row figure: this crop is spaced about equally in all directions and the source gives a single spacing, not a distinct row width.
- UC Master Gardeners, Sonoma County (Planting Summary)backs sunlight, lifecycle, harvestStyle · UC MG Sonoma Thyme: 'thyme is best cultivated in a hot, sunny location, it also thrives in partial shade where drought is more easily tolerated' -> full-sun crop; the part-shade tolerance is inland-heat/drought tolerance, so only marginal on the cool SF coast (4-6 hrs = maybe). Sonoma timing not used for SF. Habit and harvest: perennial, continuous — consistent with this source's planting-summary row.
- Johnny's Selected Seedsbacks daysToMaturity · German Winter Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) product spec: '90 - 95 days' to maturity (Johnny's calculates herb days-to-maturity from seeding date). Perennial caveat: light harvest the first season, fuller/more vigorous in year two, so treat 90-95 as an approximate first-light-harvest window. Only clean numeric days-to-maturity found from a reputable horticulture-staffed source.
- NC State Extension — Plant Toolboxbacks sunlight, soilDepth, growthHabit · Thymus vulgaris entry: 'Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)' (corroborates full-sun bands); 'Good Drainage', 'dry, sandy, or rocky soils', 'forms a mound about 6 to 12 inches high and 6 to 16 inches wide' -> a small woody subshrub, assigned shallow-rooted (all depth bands = yes). No numeric rooting depth exists for thyme; depth assigned by habit, and sharp drainage (not depth) is the real constraint. Non-CA extension, agronomy only. growthHabit: 'forms a mound about 6 to 12 inches high' with Habit/Form 'Spreading' and a woody subshrub base -> low-mound, height 6-12 in (a low creeping mat, no support).
- Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)backs germination, plantingDepth · RHS thyme: germinate well at 59–68°F, within ~2 weeks. No qualifying US extension gives numeric thyme germination temp+days. Planting depth 0-1/8 in (surface-sown): 'Scatter the seeds thinly on the surface, there is no need to cover the tiny seeds.'
- USDA GRIN Taxonomybacks botany