How to Grow Thyme in a Backyard Herb Garden and What to do with it!

One of the things I love most about spring is planting my backyard herb garden. Yes, gardening is a lot of work. Yes, there are bugs, dirt and sweat involved. And yes, you will probably break at least one nail. But there is honestly nothing more satisfying than going outside and picking a few edible things right from your yard. A backyard herb garden is an incredibly frugal way to improve your cooking! Honestly, the little packages of fresh herbs in the produce section are ridiculously priced and dried herbs just don’t taste or look the same as fresh ones. I definitely recommend a backyard herb garden if you have a little extra space in your yard!

Thyme is incredibly easy to grow and has a wonderfully delicate flavor. It is a sun loving and drought tolerant herb that originated in Greece. It thrives in well drained soil and the drier the conditions, the more concentrated the flavor of the herbs. The flowers it produces will attract pollinators to your backyard herb garden. With the population of pollinators dropping so quickly, anything that helps feed them is a plus! If you tuck in a few thyme plants in between some of your vegetable plants, the pollinators will help boost your garden yield without you doing anything at all! There are a few different varieties of thyme for the backyard herb garden so talk to your local nursery about what they have available. There is a lemon thyme (which I have) and even a caraway thyme as well as several others.

Thyme is a very low lying plant so you can use it along rock walls or in between stepping stones. We plant ours in the soil behind our rock wall and the plant gradually drapes down over the front in a cascading fashion I find absolutely beautiful. Head out into your backyard herb garden regularly with a pair of kitchen shears and just snip off a bunch here or there. You can dry fresh thyme by tying it in tiny bundles and hanging it in a dry location or by putting it in a dehydrator.  Repurpose old spice jars by adding your own herbs instead of buying more at the grocery store!

Thyme has a very mild flavor so use it with things that are equally mild in flavor. Add it to roasted vegetables, soup, sauces, and seafood. It also goes very well in cheese sauce and egg dishes. You can make a Lemon and Thyme Infused Sea Salt and store it in jars for 6 months to a year. Use this anywhere you would normally use salt, lemon and thyme!

From the Better Homes and Gardens Website:

I definitely recommend learning how to grow thyme in a backyard herb garden, even if you are a total beginner when it comes to gardening (check out my post on growing a  medicinal herb garden for more reasons to grow thyme!) (check out my post on growing a  medicinal herb garden for more reasons to grow thyme!). Herbs are very hardy and rarely do pests ever bother them. Make sure that you are growing them organically since they will be used directly in your food and aren’t the easiest thing in the world to wash!

Will you be growing thyme in your backyard herb garden?