In late fall, after the first frost, select one-third of the oldest and woodiest stems on your thyme plant. Using sharp, clean shears, cut these stems back by half. Repeat the process the next year until your thyme plant has returned to growing younger, more tender stems all over the plant.
Thyme is a good substitution for rosemary, especially when used along with other spices. However, when substituting rosemary for thyme, it's important to use slightly less amount than what the recipe calls for. This is because rosemary has a stronger flavour than thyme.
Although a variety of herbs (and even flowers, like marigolds and nasturtiums) can often be planted together, certain kinds like parsley, cilantro, tarragon, basil and chives prefer a more moist soil, and should not be planted directly with thyme.
Perennial herbs like sage, thyme, lavender, chives and mint do not need to be replanted each year. Annual herbs can be cut back more severely since they do not overwinter and they will regrow quickly.
The most common reason for thyme plants dying is because of root rot or fungal disease caused by excess moisture around the roots due to over watering or slow draining soils. Thyme plants can begin to die back, dry out and turn brown after 4 or 5 years.
Most selections of thyme (Thymus sp.) are hardy to USDA Zones 5 to 9 and marginally hardy to Zone 4 with added winter protection. In areas with cold winters, thyme is considered semi-evergreen, meaning that the plant will retain some of its foliage during winter but not all.
Rosemary is the most adaptable and heat tolerant of Mediterranean herbs; it can be grown as a perennial where soil doesn't freeze hard in winter. Thyme is a top cooking herb, although too much summer rain can lead to mildew and leaf blight.
Rosemary is originally a Mediterranean plant — it likes full sun and though it does well in areas with high humidity, it thrives in dry climates, too. The soil needs to be fast draining and light. Don't just fill up a pot with garden soil – mix in plenty of sand and perlite to keep it light and well-drained.
Since rosemary doesn't love temperatures that are below 30ºF or so, keeping them in pots is the best way to grow them in a colder climate. Rosemary will love being in the full sun during the spring and summer. Bring the plants indoors, several weeks before the first frost.
Mint is a hardy perennial that is one of the first to arrive each spring. It also grows year-round in warmer climates; no dormancy period is needed. Mint thrives in both cool and warm climates, and it also retains its potency of flavor over the years.
Which Herbs Need Full Sun?
- Basil. This classic Italian culinary herb is versatile and easy to grow as long as you give it a spot with full sun and good moisture in the soil.
- Chamomile. The flowers of chamomile make a lovely tea.
- Cilantro.
- Dill.
- Fennel.
- Lavender.
- Rosemary.
- Summer Savory.
Otherwise, these hot weather herbs won't produce the essential oils that provide their distinctive aroma and flavor.
- Dill.
- Fennel.
- Winter savory.
- Yarrow.
- Licorice.
- Marjoram.
- Lemon verbena.
- Lavender.
Sage does best in medium to full sun. It can also do well in containers or indoors – just be sure it's near a sunny window if you're growing it inside. If you live in zones 5 to 8, your sage will be a hardy perennial.
Most herbs need a fair amount of sunlight. As long as an herb is growing in a space where it gets at least 4 hours of sunlight a day, it will most likely do well. Most can tolerate much more sunlight, though, with herbs like rosemary, lavender and basil thriving in full sun (6 – 8 hours a day).
Herbs such as lavender, parsley and sage do better in cooler weather. They should be harvested now and dried. Herbs that thrive in summer's heat, such as basil, should be planted now. You might even want to preserve some of these herbs by drying or freezing for use during the summer.
If you don't tidy them up, plants become woody and will need replacing after three years.
Culinary thyme varieties with the best flavor are narrow-leaf French, broadleaf English, lemon thyme and mother-of-thyme, recommends Master Gardener Joyce Schillen of the Oregon State University Extension Service's Jackson County office. The plants have the best flavor just before their flowers open.
Let some thyme plants flower, since the herb attracts the bees. While thyme is usually harvested in the summer months, we have harvested ours well into late fall! Thyme can grow in the ground or in a container. Either is left outside in wintertime.
Thyme is taken by mouth for bronchitis, whooping cough, sore throat, colic, arthritis, upset stomach, stomach pain (gastritis), diarrhea, bedwetting, a movement disorder in children (dyspraxia), intestinal gas (flatulence), parasitic worm infections, and skin disorders.
Wild thyme (Thymus pulegiodes, syn. T. serpyllum) can be invasive in some situations. None of the many varieties of lemon thyme are particularly invasive, even creeping lemon thyme is little risk because it does not produce seeds and spreads only by creeping.
When growing outdoors your plants will need up to 10 hours of direct sun during the day. When you're growing an herb garden indoors thyme will need as much bright, direct light as you can give it. Low light will make your plant grow leggy stems that won't look or taste right.
Water completely each time but allow the pot to dry before watering again. Fertilize thyme with a weak solution of fish emulsion or liquid seaweed, diluted by half every two weeks. Cut back overly woody stems on the thyme plant to force fresh new growth. Trim off flowers and dry them for a sachet or use them in tea.
What's the difference between thyme and oregano? The flavor and scent are their most defining features, with thyme being a complex combination of sweet and peppery as well as minty and lemony, whereas oregano is a very bold, pungent and earthy flavor.
And, they can help beat back weeds. Plus, many are drought tolerant. And, pollinators love them. So the more thyme for the bees, the more pollination for our food gardens.
Vegetables for midsummer planting
| Crop | Days to maturity | Cold hardiness |
|---|
| Leaf lettuce | 40-60 | Survives light frost |
| Mustard greens | 30-40 | Survives light frost |
| Peas | 70-80 (longer than if planted in spring) | Survives high 20s |
| Radishes | 30-60 | Dig until soil freezes |
Best Herbs to Plant in Late Summer
- Cilantro. Perfect for the cooler weather, this herb prefers partial shade, and moist soil.
- Thyme. An aromatic, culinary wonder, this herb is suited for full sun to partial shade environments, and will grow between 12-15 inches at full maturity.
- Chives.
- Arugula.
- Sage.
- Basil.
- Oregano.
- Parsley.
Zones 8, 9, and 10 cover the southern United States and California. Vegetables that are late to mature in cooler climates do fine down south when sown in July. Lucky gardeners in this general region can plant nightshades, like peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant, and pick their ripe fruit from the vine into early winter.
10 easy to grow herb plants
- Basil. Basil is easy to grow from seed and is a popular herb in Mediterannean cuisine.
- Mint. There are several types of mint available, including Vietnamese mint, spearmint and apple mint.
- Chives. This perennial herb flourishes in pots or the garden.
- Parsley.
- Rosemary.
- Oregano.
- Thyme.
- Dill.
If it is too late to plant in the spring, you can plant mid-season and late season potatoes as late as July 1st – as long as you live in a mild climate. If you want to store your potatoes over the winter, late season potatoes are the best option.
By July there's a wealth of flower seeds to sow outdoors, including aquilegia, campanula, coreopsis, delphinium, myosotis, penstemon and pansy. You can also prepare for autumn biennial planting by sowing foxglove, sweet William, and forget-me-nots.
Growing carrots in the heat of summer is a difficult endeavor. Carrots are a cool season crop which typically need between three and four months to reach maturity. They are slow to germinate in cool weather and sprout best when the ambient temperature is around 70 F.
Basil is not the least bit finicky, and with proper planting, care and harvesting, you can enjoy it all summer long! When to plant basil – The earliest time to plant basil is about 2 weeks after the last frost, once the soil is between 50° – 70° F – the warmer the better. It can also be planted during summer.
Sow pickling cucumbers indoors by early July, to transplant outside later. Pick the fruits when small, expect to start harvesting in late summer.
