Lemon thyme: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How do you sow lemon thyme outdoors?
First check the seed offered as lemon thyme. Cultivated forms do not all come true from seed: scent, colour and habit may vary among offspring. To reproduce a particular cultivar exactly, an identified plant or vegetative propagation is more suitable. If your seed is intended for sowing, choose a mild period in spring or early summer, with warm soil and no risk of hard frost.
Choose a bright position and very well-drained soil. Prepare a small, fine, weed-free surface and firm it lightly; deep hoeing is unnecessary. Scatter the tiny seeds on the surface and press gently to ensure soil contact. Do not bury them a centimetre deep or cover the seedbed with mulch that could smother seedlings. A draining pot outdoors makes emergence easier to monitor than a large direct sowing.
Water very gently and retain light moisture until emergence without leaving the compost saturated. Seedlings do not yet have the drought tolerance of established thyme. Thin gradually, then allow roughly twenty to thirty centimetres for adult plants, depending on habit. Neither immediate germination nor an immediate harvest is guaranteed: initial establishment takes patience.
How do you plant lemon thyme?
When does lemon thyme flower and how do you support its blooms?
When and how should you prune lemon thyme?
How to care for this plant
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Weed
If weeds compete with your young plant, hand-pull them without disturbing its roots. If you use mulch, choose a thin mineral layer to keep low shoots off wet soil and leave the crown clear. Avoid thick, damp organic mulch against the base; this is not a feeding step.
How do you harvest lemon thyme?
