Thyme

Elliot · July 10, 2011

I planted thyme for the first time. I bought two plants and planted them near my lilies. They are doing nicely. Do they come back every year or are they an annual?

DiggingDogFarm · July 10, 2011

Thyme is a perennial where you are.

~Dig

beefsteak · July 12, 2011

Will come back with a vengeance! English thyme anyways..

Elliot · July 12, 2011

I have lemon thyme

VitaVeggieMan · July 12, 2011

I put my three thyme plants (English, Lemon, Lime) in the garage for the winter where they get some light but are sheltered from the worst of the cold, wind, and snow. I cut them back a bit this spring, and they're all doing well now.

jgaleota · July 13, 2011

Lemon thyme is not hardy where I am----zone 5.

DiggingDogFarm · July 13, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgaleota

Lemon thyme is not hardy where I am----zone 5.

I have not problem over-wintering it here in Zone 5, but I do mulch.

http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/modzz/00001449.html

~Dig

Elliot · July 13, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiggingDogFarm

I have not problem over-wintering it here in Zone 5, but I do mulch.

http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/modzz/00001449.html

~Dig

Do you put mulch over the plant in the winter?

jgaleota · July 13, 2011

Hmm. Interesting. I wonder if what I had was variegated lemon thyme, which I believe is zone 6. Or maybe we had a **** of a winter that year.

jgaleota · July 13, 2011

Interesting. I wonder if what I had was variegated lemon thyme. I think it is a zone 6.

lurley · July 13, 2011

French thyme is the best, imo, and hardy here in zone 5.

DiggingDogFarm · July 13, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elliot

Do you put mulch over the plant in the winter?

Yes i do.

~Dig

jgaleota · July 14, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by lurley

French thyme is the best, imo, and hardy here in zone 5.

Good to know! Thanks.

stormymater · May 2, 2012

OK - need advice - my thyme is out along the inside edge of my raised beds - it does get uber hot here. The thyme looks beautiful ten gets long straggly twiggy w/green leaves only on the ends, then nothing. This occurs over the summer. The bed is used to grow tomatoes but the thyme is on the south side- getting full sun & drier than beneath or to the north of the maters. The thyme is NOT mulched. I have had it overwinter & try to push out new growth - but it fails. I have tried trimming but that seemed to hasten the inevitable. No mildew or mold seen (unlike the sage). Any advice? I have started 4 big burly plants - lemon, orange, French & English - not in the bed this year but in pots w/native loamy sand - no amendments. They are on my deck - OMG, were they ever heavy to tote up the stairs! Full all day sun? 6 or so hrs am sun? I can place them on the east facing deck to adjust light. Water? I wonder if the plants in my bed got too dry? Any advice appreciated. Oh - fertilizer? I never have but have rabbit, chicken & bull poop & the blue stuff (LOL). TIA

RayR · May 2, 2012

The only thing that will surely kill Thyme up here is if the soil is too dry for too long. In the winter my potted thyme comes indoors and will eventually go dormant and die back, but if the soil isn't kept slightly moist all winter, ir won't return in the spring. The plants I have in the ground don't need much attention since lack of moisture isn't an issue here.
It will get long and straggly with small leaves if there isn't enough light, but yours is getting plenty of sunshine, so maybe it needs some fertilizer. I fertilize in the spring when new growth appears with liquid fish/seaweed and then a light dusting of a granular organic fertilizer on top of the soil.

July 10, 2011	#1
Elliot Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Hicksville, New York Posts: 503	Thyme I planted thyme for the first time. I bought two plants and planted them near my lilies. They are doing nicely. Do they come back every year or are they an annual?

July 10, 2011	#2
DiggingDogFarm Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New York State Posts: 286	Thyme is a perennial where you are. ~Dig

July 12, 2011	#3
beefsteak Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: NW PA zone 5 Posts: 121	Will come back with a vengeance! English thyme anyways..

July 12, 2011	#5
VitaVeggieMan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Clifton, VA Posts: 33	I put my three thyme plants (English, Lemon, Lime) in the garage for the winter where they get some light but are sheltered from the worst of the cold, wind, and snow. I cut them back a bit this spring, and they're all doing well now.

July 13, 2011	#6
jgaleota Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 133	Lemon thyme is not hardy where I am----zone 5.

July 13, 2011	#11
lurley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Central Ohio Posts: 741	French thyme is the best, imo, and hardy here in zone 5.

May 2, 2012	#14
stormymater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pleasure Island, NC 8a Posts: 1,162	OK - need advice - my thyme is out along the inside edge of my raised beds - it does get uber hot here. The thyme looks beautiful ten gets long straggly twiggy w/green leaves only on the ends, then nothing. This occurs over the summer. The bed is used to grow tomatoes but the thyme is on the south side- getting full sun & drier than beneath or to the north of the maters. The thyme is NOT mulched. I have had it overwinter & try to push out new growth - but it fails. I have tried trimming but that seemed to hasten the inevitable. No mildew or mold seen (unlike the sage). Any advice? I have started 4 big burly plants - lemon, orange, French & English - not in the bed this year but in pots w/native loamy sand - no amendments. They are on my deck - OMG, were they ever heavy to tote up the stairs! Full all day sun? 6 or so hrs am sun? I can place them on the east facing deck to adjust light. Water? I wonder if the plants in my bed got too dry? Any advice appreciated. Oh - fertilizer? I never have but have rabbit, chicken & bull poop & the blue stuff (LOL). TIA

May 2, 2012	#15
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	The only thing that will surely kill Thyme up here is if the soil is too dry for too long. In the winter my potted thyme comes indoors and will eventually go dormant and die back, but if the soil isn't kept slightly moist all winter, ir won't return in the spring. The plants I have in the ground don't need much attention since lack of moisture isn't an issue here. It will get long and straggly with small leaves if there isn't enough light, but yours is getting plenty of sunshine, so maybe it needs some fertilizer. I fertilize in the spring when new growth appears with liquid fish/seaweed and then a light dusting of a granular organic fertilizer on top of the soil.