Growing and Using Thyme in Your Herb Garden

This spring I’m adding a new herb to my tiny container garden here in the Pacific Northwest, and it’s one I’m kind of shocked I wasn’t already growing before now, considering it shares the same name as my middle child… Thyme!

Thyme (botanical name thymus vulgaris) is a member of the mint family, and grows just as prolifically when you just leave it alone, which is probably why I get along so well with this plant. For someone who largely neglects my herb garden when I’m not taking little kitchen snippings, I take a ridiculous amount of pride in my tiny container herb garden on the side of my house in the middle of military housing (where in ground gardens are prohibited).

Thyme really is a wonderful and versatile perennial herb, needing only basic attention to thrive… it actually prefers soil that LACKS nutrients, so frequent fertilizing is not necessary. It really is the perfect herb for lazy gardeners like myself, haha. And it has a quick payoff for the kitchen! Thyme’s upright woody stems can grow to be between 6 and 12 inches tall in a single season, providing gardeners with plenty of delicious herbs to enjoy fresh or to dry for use all year long.

Thyme can be harvested at any time once it is established, and there is no real technique to harvesting, you just simply snip off the stems any time you need the herb for cooking.

Some Geeky Woo Woo Facts About Thyme

• Thyme has been used for spiritual purification and cleansing throughout the ages. The word Thyme comes from the Greek word meaning to “fumigate”, because the herb was often burned in sacred rites. 
• The Greeks thought very highly of Thyme. It was mixed in drinks to induce bravery, and warriors were massaged with thyme oil to ensure their courage. In Medieval England, ladies embroidered sprigs of thyme into their knights’ scarves to increase their bravery.
• Women wore thyme in their hair to enhance their attractiveness. The phrase “to smell of thyme” meant that one was stylish, well-groomed, poised, and otherwise attractive.
• In Scotland, highlanders brewed tea to increase courage and keep away nightmares. To this day many believe that if you put thyme under your pillow or beside your bed it will stop you from having nightmares.

Ways You Can Use Thyme

• Eat it! Thyme has a long association with cooking and is part of French Bouquet Garni and Herbes de Provence. It adds a marvelously rich flavor to meat dishes and stews and adds flavor to veggies. You can put thyme on just about anything, and it combines well with parsley, sage, and rosemary, as the song says.
• Brew it as tea or for potions – this is good for healing. Thyme tea will settle the stomach, aid sleep, soothe a sore throat, relieve aches and pains, and rids you of toxins.
• Make a vinegar or oil infusion with fresh sprigs of thyme for as a healthy drizzle over cooked vegetables or as a dip for crusty breads, or make herbal butter with sea salt!
• Use as a fresh garnish for iced drinks and cocktails! This elevates the look of everything from ice water to iced tea and lemonade.
• Bundle it, dry it, and hang it around the house for protection and good luck.
• Burn it as an incense for protection, good luck, and energy cleansing.
• Use it for potpourri pots or sachets, or add to herbal baths. Inhaling the scent of thyme is another way to use this plant for its fabled courage, strength, and love boosting properties.