Thyme is a great favourite in Danish kitchens, and the herb is also a perennial plant that you can easily keep in the garden, on the patio, on the balcony or even on a windowsill indoors. Its aromatic, spicy flavour is an ingredient that works well in many dishes – and when you choose fresh thyme rather than dried, you will notice a completely different, more penetrating flavour. In this post we will introduce you to growing, sowing and caring for thyme – let's get started!
How do you grow thyme?
As mentioned, you can grow thyme both indoors and outdoors, as long as you make sure the herb gets the right amount of light and warmth. It can be an advantage to grow your thyme in a raised bed, which you can place wherever there is the best light during the day.
Sowing thyme
You can choose to grow your thyme from seed, but it often works better to grow it from a fully grown plant that can develop further. If you still choose to sow thyme seeds, you can start by pre-germinating the seeds indoors, and then plant them out when the temperature is around 18-20 ͦC.
As for the soil it is planted in, thyme generally has no great demands. The herb can easily tolerate dry, stony soil in which other plants would not thrive. If you sow thyme seeds, it is important to remember that they only need to be pressed very lightly into the soil to germinate.
Another good tip is that you can sow your thyme plant in the flower bed, where the herb's purple flowers will make a lovely decoration until it needs to be pruned.
How do you care for thyme?
Thyme does not require much care – which is only an advantage, as it then does not demand nearly as much of you. For the best result, it is a good idea to water thyme regularly. However, the herb is fairly hardy and can tolerate drought, so if you forget now and then, it will most likely survive.
You should also prune your thyme every spring, so that the herb continues to have the best conditions for growing. Simply cut it back to the green area, so that the plant can keep shooting. When the frost comes, you can, if you wish, cover your thyme with spruce branches or similar, so that you can be sure the roots do not freeze too much. When you need thyme in the kitchen, simply cut off the right amount and leave the rest. You can also dry your fresh thyme by hanging it up with the leaves pointing downwards, which gives a longer shelf life and brings out some different flavours than fresh thyme does.