Thyme

Native to the Mediterranean, thyme is a small, perennial shrub with tiny gray-green leaves. Like most herbs, thyme does best in full sun, and it tolerates drought well. It can be planted by seed in either late fall or early spring. Make sure to plant in good-draining soil. To use, remove the top one-third portion of the plant when in full bloom and spread on newspaper in a well-ventilated room to dry. Then, strip the leaves and flowering tops from the stem and store in tightly closed containers.

UF/IFAS Sites

• Herbs for Spring
• Thyme, Thymus vulgaris

UF/IFAS Publications

• Florida Food Fare: Thyme (PDF)
• Herb of the Month: Thyme (PDF)
• Herbs in the Florida Garden
• Wild Thyme Summer Salad (PDF)

Also on Gardening in a Minute

• Culinary Herbs
• Easy-to-Grow Herbs
• Herb Gardening

Other Sites

• Thymus vulgaris, Thyme--Floridata.com
• Thymus vulgaris, Thyme--Missouri Botanical Garden