When to plant thyme?
Sow thyme indoors in spring, on the surface, at 15-20 °C, and plant it from mid-spring to early summer. In Campania the transplant is in autumn or at the end of winter, on a crop of 3-4 years, and Sicily and Umbria write no month.
When, by region
| North | Centre | South | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sowing | Indoors in spring, on the surface, at 15-20 °C. Up in a couple of weeks. Plant from mid-spring to early summer, once the plant has roots. In a pot, the herbs page also sows it outdoors in May. From seed to a first picking takes about a year. | Umbria's 2025 sheets do not include thyme, and no month is written. | In Campania the transplant is in autumn or at the end of winter, on soil with no waterlogging. Start from seed, cuttings or division. It grows well with a mild winter and little rain. Sicily has no thyme chapter. |
| Spacing | 20-30 cm apart, at the same depth as before. In a pot, one in at least 15 cm wide and 10 cm deep, with up to 25 per cent grit. Move the seedlings into 7.5 cm pots once they have several leaves. | As in the north for the RHS. Umbria does not write a spacing. | In Campania, about 10,000 plants per hectare. The distance between rows is set for mechanical weeding. A figure in centimetres, on the sheet, is not written. The crop lasts 3-4 years on average. |
It wants sun and soil that drains. Water that sits in winter rots the roots.
Indoors in spring, 15-20 °C (59-68 °F), a couple of weeks, mid-spring to early summer, May in a pot, 20-30 cm (8-12 in), a pot 15 cm (6 in) wide and 10 cm (4 in) deep, 25 per cent grit, 7.5 cm (3 in) and the year before a harvest are from the RHS. Autumn or the end of winter, 10,000 plants per hectare, the 3-4 years and two cuts after the first year are from Campania. Sicily has no thyme chapter. Umbria 2025 does not name it. Basil, which starts in March, is in when to plant basil. The months are in the February calendar, March, April, May, June, September, October and November.
Spring, on the surface
The RHS sows indoors in spring, in small pots or modules of moist compost. Scatter the seed on the surface and do not cover it. It germinates well at 15-20 °C (59-68 °F), within a couple of weeks, somewhere warm and bright. Water without overdoing it: seedlings rot if they stay sodden. Once they have several leaves, one plant to a 7.5 cm (3 in) pot, in a soil-based compost.
Plant out from mid-spring to early summer, once it is well rooted and growing strongly. Harden off the indoor ones. On the herbs-in-containers page, thyme, mint, oregano, rosemary and sage are sown indoors, or outdoors in May in containers. From seed to a first cut takes about a year. The pot is in starting seeds indoors.
Campania, autumn or the end of winter
In Campania the transplant goes in during autumn or at the end of winter, on ground prepared with no waterlogging. You can sow direct, or transplant plants from seed, cuttings or dividing a clump. Transplanting gives a more even stand. The density is about 10,000 plants per hectare. The distance between rows follows mechanical weed control. A measurement in centimetres is not written.
The thyme on the sheet is a Mediterranean subshrub, and it grows well with a mild winter and little rain. The crop lasts 3-4 years on average. It can last longer, and then the stem turns woody. After the first year you can take two cuts a year. In the first year, if planting is at the end of winter, a third of the nitrogen goes on at planting and the rest during growth. Sicily has no thyme chapter. Umbria, in 2025, does not name it. Basil is in when to plant basil.
Dry, not sodden
Plant in the sun, in light soil that drains. If the ground is heavy and stays wet in winter, the RHS puts it in a pot or a raised bed. In the ground, 20-30 cm (8-12 in) apart. In a pot, one in at least 15 cm (6 in) wide and 10 cm (4 in) deep, with up to 25 per cent grit. Once settled it barely needs water, except a pot in hot, dry spells. Too much water, especially in winter, rots the roots. The pot is in the container garden.
Take softwood cuttings in spring or early summer, semi-ripe cuttings in summer, and divide or layer in spring or autumn. Trim lightly from mid- to late spring, and after flowering. Cut the leaves all year: the best flavour is on the new growth, in late spring and summer. In crop rotation perennials stay outside the plan, in a permanent corner. Thyme is one of those: it does not move round with the cabbages and the onions.
In the app
Every plant in the catalogue has its own sowing calendar, and weather alerts for your area help you judge whether to sow now or hold off.
Frequently asked questions
When do I sow in the north?
Indoors in spring, on the surface, at 15-20 °C. Up in a couple of weeks. Plant from mid-spring to early summer. In a pot, the RHS also sows it outdoors in May. From seed to a first cut takes about a year.
What date does Campania write?
Autumn or the end of winter, for the transplant. It does not write the name of the month. Density about 10,000 plants per hectare. Average life 3-4 years. After the first year, two cuts. A mild winter with little rain.
What about Sicily and Umbria?
No date. Sicily has no thyme chapter. Umbria 2025 does not name it. The RHS spring, and the packet, still apply.
How far apart, and in a pot?
The RHS: 20-30 cm. In a pot, one in at least 15 cm wide and 10 cm deep, with up to 25 per cent grit. In Campania, about 10,000 plants per hectare, and a spacing in centimetres is not written.
Do I replant it every year?
No. It lasts 3-4 years on average in Campania, and the RHS treats it as a perennial, outside the rotation of annual vegetables. Renew it from cuttings or by division once the clump goes bare in the middle.