Thyme doesn't need much attention, mine grows in a rock garden, in fact i don't look after it at all, i suppose that you could just touch the earth sometimes to see if it needs water...Just seperate/devide it when it gets too woody (less leaves)...with older plants at 3 or 4 yrs old.

Just cut off the branches when you need them for cooking.

It loves sun as its a Mediterranean plant.

Last edited by kye in france (Mon 14 Nov 11 7:25pm)

This may not be helpful, but I grew an heirloom French variety outdoors, started from seed.  It was suggested on the packet that I treat it as an 'annual' and I did.  I found in our climate, they go woody and don't produce as much after one season.  I started a new batch in winter and transferred them outside when it was time and they were quite nice.  They make a nice border to keep weeds down.

I have another variety growing inside in a pot right now and am hoping not to have to replace it.

(funny, each type will have a slightly different taste and aroma, so you may want to try a few to see what you like)  That French heirloom was delicious.

Last edited by MsPablo (Tue 15 Nov 11 12:22am)

The old thyme is still beautifully spreading even after the icy winter, its branches are starting to touch the soil again and this time i'll push them down to have new plants from the old.

Another that was planted last year gave very little and has almost disappeared.

the pots that we get in supermarkets are not quite the same the thyme that is grown outside , its quite a spindly plant , with seedings that have been forced on to grow .
Unlike a nursery grown pot plant which has had a longer growing thyme 
The nursery grown plants are more likely to survive than the supermarket pots.

I think that the supermarket pots of growing thyme are not realy meant to survive long , they are  a poorer quality of plant from what I see of them. It of course might just be the variety of thye that is sown in these pots .

Unlike the woody type of thye that you get frm plant nurseries and garden centers , these supermarket pots have plants with long soft stems and they just do not last well.
I a only ever sucessful at transplanting then to the outside garden in the summer and even then the plants do not survive for many months.

My thyme has grown so big it is deadish in the middle. Would getting the outskirts of it under some soil to grow more roots, be the best thing to do? I fear cutting it back!