Tips for growing thyme

[Eddie & Elvis]

Hi everyone

I have a variety of piggy safe herbs and plants growing in pots but I'm struggling to keep my thyme alive. The first one I had fine for quite a while but I put it outside and it went all tough and died even after I brought it back in. Then I got some baby ones but they died off really quickly so I googled about thyme and found out it's Mediterranean so it doesn't need to be watered so I thought maybe I drowned the previous ones. However after not watering my most recent one and just leaving it out in the sun it's dying too!

Can anyone give me some tips or tricks to growing thyme please. It's meant to be easy to grow but apparently not!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Have you got it in the ground or in a pot?

It is a Mediterranean herb so they like a lot of sun and well drained soil. You still need to water it but it is drought tolerant so you need to water thoroughly but then let the soil dry between waterings.
If you’ve got it in a pot of multi purpose compost for example, it could well be too wet as they don’t like soggy feet - add lots of grit or vermiculite and ensure the pot is raised off the ground so it can free drain.

 

[Eddie & Elvis]

Thanks for replying so quickly

It's in a pot. Would it do better in the ground?

It's outside so it gets watered when it rains but not much in between.

I'm pretty sure it's not compost the soil doesn't seem too wet.

What kind of grit do you suggest I should add?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thyme can grow in gravel or between paving with a little soil around its roots. If you can mimic that then it’ll help. It can be easier to create the conditions in a pot, but as long as your soil is very well draining (so not clay) then you could try in the ground.
You can buy tubs of horticultural grit, or just use small gravel

 

[Eddie & Elvis]

Thanks I'll get some gravel then. Since it's in a pot do I literally just need to mix the gravel with the soil?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thanks I'll get some gravel then. Since it's in a pot do I literally just need to mix the gravel with the soil?

Yep, just mix it in with the soil right around the pot

 

[Eddie & Elvis]

I'll do that tomorrow if I've got some gravel. Thanks for the help

 

[Mo & Stubbins & Vani]

Good luck! x

 

[Pigwhisperer]

Yes I made a herb garden in containers for my husband's birrhday one year and that's literally what I had to do, mix some small gravel in (bought from the garden centre) with the compost as I filled the containers. Good luck.... have a good "thyme"....

 

[Piggies&buns]

One more thing I meant to add last night. Make sure you pruned it otherwise it becomes woody

 

[Eddie & Elvis]

Good luck! x

Yes I made a herb garden in containers for my husband's birrhday one year and that's literally what I had to do, mix some small gravel in (bought from the garden centre) with the compost as I filled the containers. Good luck.... have a good "thyme"....

Thank you let's hope I can keep it alive this thyme

 

[Eddie & Elvis]

One more thing I meant to add last night. Make sure you pruned it otherwise it becomes woody

That must be what happened to my first one it went woody and I didn't know why. Thanks again I'll do that too