Thyme Seeds

Thyme Seeds for Planting: A Hardy Herb for Kitchen, Border, and Pots

Thyme is one of the most useful herbs you can grow. It's a small, low-growing perennial with tiny aromatic leaves, it handles dry spells and poor soil better than most herbs, and its flowers draw bees when it blooms. Fresh sprigs go into roasts, soups, sauces, and bean dishes, and the plants also work as a fragrant edging along paths and in rock gardens. Our collection of thyme seeds includes English, French, German Winter, and Summer varieties, so you can match flavor and hardiness to your garden. Starting thyme from seed costs far less than buying established plants, and one packet can fill a whole herb bed.

Thyme Seeds for Sale: English, French, German Winter, and Summer Thyme

When you browse thyme seeds for sale, the differences come down to flavor and winter hardiness. German Winter is the standard cold-hardy thyme, a compact perennial with tiny lavender flowers, and it's a dependable choice for gardens with cold winters. Summer thyme has a spicier, more pungent flavor, with slightly smaller gray-green leaves and softer stems, and it is a good pick when taste matters most. French thyme has narrow, pointed, gray-tinted leaves and is a little less hardy, so it suits milder climates or pots you can move indoors. Common English thyme is the classic all-purpose culinary type.

Whether you want the seeds of thyme for a hardy ground cover or a kitchen herb you can snip every day, mixing two or three types is an easy way to find your favorite.

Growing Thyme from Seed: Start Early and Be Patient

Thyme grows slowly, so a head start indoors pays off. Start thyme from seed about six to ten weeks before your last frost, pressing the tiny seeds onto the surface of moist seed-starting mix and barely covering them, since they sprout best with light. Keep the tray evenly moist and expect sprouts in two to four weeks, sometimes longer in cool conditions. Once seedlings have a few sets of leaves and frost has passed, harden them off and transplant them 8 to 12 inches apart in full sun. Thyme also works as a direct-sown crop in garden beds, but indoor starting gives you stronger plants sooner.

The Seedtime planting calendar turns your frost dates into a start-by date for each herb, and the layout planner helps you tuck thyme into borders, raised beds, and herb corners.

Buy Thyme Seeds with One Flat Shipping Rate

When you buy thyme seeds here, you can combine packets from different suppliers in one order and pay one flat shipping rate rather than a separate shipping charge for each supplier. Seedtime members also get discounts on seed packets, so if you're planning a whole herb garden, compare Seedtime's plans to see what membership includes.