Thyme from Seeds
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: No Name Given
Posted on: December 15, 2002

I am a volunteer with Botantical Gardens in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, and I work with thyme. We have never grown thyme from seeds, but would like to experiment with this. Can you tell me how long it will take the seeds to germinate, and then how long to grow into a nice size plant in a 5" pot. We are especially interested in trying new varieties.

We only have a few thyme varieties available as seeds, since many do not come true from seed and must be propagated by cuttings. The English, French and wild thyme seed germinate in about three weeks when kept cool at around 40 degrees Fahrenheit (about 5 degrees Celsius) which is the temperature of our greenhouse during the cold part of the year. At 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) the germination takes only 2 to 4 days. Norman C. Deno in his books on "Seed Germination Theory And Practice" warns that outdoor sowing is risky in areas with fluctuating spring temperatures, since 15 degrees Fahreheit (minus 9 degrees Celsius) will kill the seedlings that germinated during milder temperatures.

To find out more about this topic, check our web-site www.richters.com under the "Commercial" section in the "Pro Growers Info" part click on "thyme". Also, go to the "Q&A" heading in the "News & Info" section of the site. Click on "Search Question & Answers" and type in "thyme", to find the topics that sound as if they would answer your further questions.

Back to Growing Herbs | Q & A Index

Copyright © 1997-2024 Otto Richter and Sons Limited. All rights reserved.