Before getting any plants or seeds, you should understand some basics and decide whether you have the resources to grow thyme successfully. As with all gardening, you need a location, soil, sunlight, water and fertilizer; the question is always what to use and how much to apply.

Location: Thyme tolerates cold climates well and is hardy in winter up to -20 degrees F (-29 Celsius, Zone 5 or higher on the US Plant Zone Map, or most parts of the United States except the northern Appalachian and Rocky Mountains). However in climates like the US Deep South, it is prone to disease and insect infestation. Thyme also does best with plenty of room to spread out. If you are planing to plant thyme as part of a decorative garden check the height of the variety you're planting; shorter ones in the 6-12 inch range are the average and make good border plants. For a container garden you need a pot at least 9 inches in diameter for a single plant to have enough room.

Soil: Thyme grows best in dry, light, sandy and/or stony soil with good drainage. Soil that is too rich and dense will lead to a plant that is less aromatic. If you have dense or loamy soil you will want to mix in some sand. If you have especialy acidic soil (which can be verified using a pH test kit), you should add lime to bring it closer to neutral; this guide at The Garden Helper will help you determine how much. For containers, use a good loose potting soil mix.

Sun: Thyme prefers full, direct sunlight but can be grown in partial sun.

Water: Thyme should not need extensive watering and should not be over watered to the point where the soil is soggy. The plants will tolerate drought well.

Fertilizer: Thyme does not need a lot of fertilizer and over fertilizing will, again, result in the thyme loosing its aroma. If you are trying to grow organic, use compost to mix in the soil. If you use commercial fertilizer, use a regular 5-10-5 formulation (five parts nitrogen, 10 parts phosphorous and 5 parts potash; the 5-10-5 will be clearly marked on the label). For container plants you will need liquid plant food.

You also need:

1. Thyme plants or seeds: thyme plants are available at most garden nurseries and will be easier to manage for most people, but growing from seed is also possible.
2. Garden rake
3. Large shovel for adding stuff to the soil.
4. Garden trowel and/or stick to poke holes if using seeds
5. Scissors or shears for pruning
6. Mulch
7. Pots, if starting seedlings indoors or if growing entirely in containers.

If you are starting your thyme indoors from seed with a plan to replant it outside, they will need 6-10 weeks to reach proper transplanting size, which is 5-6 inches. A few days before you intend to move the plants outside, move your seedlings outside during the day, bringing them back in at night especially if freezing and frost is expected. This is called "hardening off" and will let the plants adapt from indoors to outdoors.

Thyme, regardless if it's seeds or plants, should be planted outdoors early, about 2-3 weeks before the last frost of spring, meaning late March or early April for most places.

Containers can be started any time but it's best to start them around the same time as outdoor plants so you can keep them outdoors through the summertime.

Prepare your soil as described above, using a rake to loosen the soil in the area you're planting. Don't bother to pick out stones unless they're so large they get in your way.

If you are using fertilizer you may work it into the soil in this stage - if your soil was rich to begin with you probably don't need it. For compost, spread a roughly 1-inch layer over the area and stir it in throughly with the rake. For commercial fertilizer, check the package directions and use the smallest amount recommended or a little less.

For growing in a pot, fill the pot with your potting soil mix.

For seeds, poke holes about 1/2 inch deep, put a seed in each and cover the holes well.

For plants, dig a hole with your trowel deep enough to receive the roots of the plant plus at least an inch extra, lower the plant in and cover it well.

In both cases, keep 8-9 inches between plants. If you are planing in rows, space rows 18 inches appart.

Water your freshly planted thyme and settle down to wait. Plants started from seed will germinate in about 21-28 days. Plants will be fully mature after 70 days, meaning around June. Water thyme only occasionally as needed. After this point you can start picking stems for harvesting. The first year you have your thyme plants, harvest them sparingly so that you don't pick off more than the plant can take. Both the stems/leaves and the flowers are edible.

When the weather starts to change over to summer, you should mulch around your thyme to regulate heat and moisture in the soil. Spread a good layer of it around your plants, roughly half an inch thick, using a rake and shovel to distribute it evenly.

To prune thyme, it is only necessary that you pick off dead flower heads when they appear and cut away dead woody stems. If you want your thyme to grow out bushy, clip back new growth stems as they appear (and keep the cuttings to use for yourself later.

Before winter comes, you must apply a heavy layer of mulch - at least a couple good inches - to protect the roots from freezing if you want your thyme to grow back next year. Pull any weeds in around the plants before putting the mulch down. Thyme in containers can be moved indoors. In the spring, cut back the dead woody stems.

Thyme in a garden only needs to be fertilized once or twice a year.

For compost, spread some around each plant and work it into the soil with a hand rake starting about an inch from the base and working outward. Do not dig down into the roots; if roots are shallow and get in the way then just spread a 2 inch layer of compost on top of the soil around the plant.

For commercial fertilizer, follow the package directions for application.

For container plants you should use a fertilizer that you mix with water. Mix it to half the strength of the package directions and water your containers with it about every three weeks.

For commercial fertilize

After thyme gets to be about 3 years old, it can start to get woody and should be dug up and divided into smaller plants to promote new, young growth. During the planting season in April, dig up the roots, shake off as much soil as possible and with your hands, gently break the root apart into 3 or 4 vertical sections so each piece has both roots and stems. Replant them the same as directed in step 3.

Here are pages with more resources, if you'd like to learn more:

• Growing Thyme - grow-herbs.net
• The Weekend Gardener - Fact Sheet
• Thyme at GuardenGuides.com
• Botanical.com - Thyme in "A Modern Herbal", online version of a book from the early 1900s. Old advice but the cultivation section is still relevant.
• eHow: How to Fertilize Thyme Plants
• Hubpages: How to grow Garden Thyme in Pots or Containers
• The Garden Helper - How to adjust the soil pH in your garden