Today we will learn how to grow thyme, one of the easiest plants to grow, especially on your balcony.
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Thyme is known and used since ancient times as a medicinal plant thanks to its balsamic, antiseptic and anticatarrhal properties.
As a spice it has different uses in the kitchen: suitable as a condiment- especially for roast meats and fish- it can also be used to flavor salads or as a base for liqueurs and infusions.
But how do you grow thyme indoors if you don’t have a lot of space available? No fear, just like other plants, thyme can also be grown in pots without much effort.
How to grow thyme at home? The DIY guide.
Pot, soil & watering.
Before discovering how to grow thyme in pots, you should know that it’s a plant that grows wildly in sunny weather. It will therefore be appropriate to choose for a location where it’s fully exposed to the sun, away from temperature changes.
The pot changes should follow the gradual development of the plant, from a small pot to a big terracotta one, filled with well dried soil on a bed of expanded clay to protect the roots from stagnation of the water. The watering must be regular, but never abundant, as the soil should always be dry enough. In the fall and winter it should be watered sparingly and with restraint, only to be intensified in the summer with the arrival of the heat.
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How to grow thyme from seed.
To cultivate thyme in pots you can choose to buy a plant that’s already developed, or start from seeds. Taking care to put forth the plan in the nursery during the summer is a priority. The best months to plant thyme are June and July. Once underground, the seeds must rest for almost a year in a warm, dry and protected environment. Early spring is the perfect time for you to move it into a suitable container for growth.
The thyme can’t stand cold weather. In the winter you’ll have to put it indoors and place it under as much sun exposure as you can. If you live in a place where the temperature change isn’t dramatic, you could protect them on the balcony using a cloth.
Remember that during the winter season thyme dries up completely to look ‘dead‘. Do not worry, because in the spring it will return to sprouting more luminous than ever!
Harvesting?
Once you learn how to cultivate thyme on your balcony or simply potting it, we move onto harvesting. The best time to do that is from the spring to the summer (ie May to August). The edible parts of the plant are aerial, tender and fragrant, including flowers. Once collected the thymus can be stored in the refrigerator inside a perforated container for about a week.
Alternatively, you can dry it and store it in a cool, dry place in tightly sealed jars. Once dried it will maintain all its properties and flavor for 4 to 6 months.
Now that you know how to cultivate thyme, you can please your green thumb!
Are you ready to grow something else following our DIY guides?