Rich balanced compost, either from the garden centre, or your own compost bins gives a good nutrient boost, and helps to hold fresh water around the roots, while grit limits the water and prevents stagnant water from causing root rot. Provide creeping thyme with an equal mix of potting compost and grit. ![]() Growing Creeping Thyme Outdoors Soil for Creeping Thyme Let’s take a look at the specific growing requirements of creeping thyme, so you can provide your plants with their ideal habitat. The leaves and flowers of thyme are perfect for cooking, and salads, and share a similar flavour, though the flowers have a delicate sweetness as well as the iconic thymol taste. If you grow creeping thyme in your garden you can harvest the entire plant, but the stalks are woody and have a horrible texture. While creeping thyme isn’t native to Australia it makes a brilliant bush tucker plant for foragers as it has naturalised around the country. Many of Australia’s native plants, particularly from the North East coast, are classified as Mediterranean, due to their preference for free draining soil, high temperatures and their ability to withstand salty winds. Instead, they are classified based on their characteristic and growing preferences. There is no geographical prerequisite for Mediterranean plants. Thyme will grow and spread through the mulch.Creeping thyme is a Mediterranean herb by classification, rather than origin, and is found growing wild throughout Europe, Asia and North Africa. The moisture built inside mulch can harm the plant. ![]() ![]() But make sure not to cover the plant in mulch. You can also mulch to keep the soil moist and reduce the weeds growing within thyme. The plant is more likely going to die if you don’t apply mulch. This will keep the soil warm thus keeping the plant alive. You should apply a 2 to 3 inches thick layer of mulch over the thyme carpet. However, it should not be used as a normal grass lawn. This plant can tolerate light foot traffic. Yes, you can walk on creeping thyme carpet without a problem. You don’t have to remove spent flowers (deadheading). However, the wheels and weight of it can sometimes hurt the plant, but usually not a problem. You can also use a lawnmower to mow the carpet. You should trim right after the winter and after the flowering season. Trimming is important to encourage the new growth of the plant. So, make sure to keep the soil moist until the plant settles down in the soil. The plant can dry out quickly since it can’t pull up water from deep in the soil. Shallow roots are a problem in very hot weather. They usually go around 3 to 4 inches (7 to 10 cm) into the soil. In super hot weather, it is a good idea to water whenever the soil dries out. In normal weather, you can water if there’s no rain for a week or so. Once established, they require much less water. Frequent watering is important when the plants are young. It prefers dry soil and also tolerates drought. You should be careful when watering thyme. How often should you water creeping thyme? If you’re sowing seeds indoors in pots, put about five to ten seeds per pot. Just make sure that there are no more frosts. These seeds have poor germination, so you will rarely have to remove the extra seedlings. If direct sowing seeds, space them about an inch (3 cm) apart. Over time, these gaps will be completely covered. If you’re transplanting, space about a foot (30 cm) apart from each other. How far apart should creeping thyme be planted? If growing indoors, make sure to place the container near a large window so it can get enough sunlight. ![]() But for the best results, it is recommended to plant in a sunny spot. It requires full sun (at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight) to thrive but can tolerate some shade. Can creeping thyme grow in shade or full sun? Wet soggy soil will cause root rot and other diseases and problems. It will not grow in clay soil and eventually, it will die. No, creeping thyme does not like clay soil which has really poor drainage.
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