Thyme is a perennial culinary herb, grown for the flavor it brings to the kitchen, ready to harvest about 85 days after planting. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9, stands up to deer and handles dry spells once it's established. Its summer flowers are a real draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies, even though the harvest is the prize.
Thyme — the short answer
Thyme: grown in zones 5–9, full sun, pH 4.5–8, about 85 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 4.5–8
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Days to Maturity
- 85 days
- UMD-Herb; RHS
- Frost-kill temperature
- -10°F
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Thyme on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether thyme actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score thyme against your land's real conditions.
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What Thyme is
Thyme grows as a perennial and reaches around a foot at maturity. It blooms pink in summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Thyme
Thyme grows in USDA zones 5 through 9 and is ready to harvest about 85 days after planting. Thyme does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.5 to 8, on well-drained to fast-draining ground. It needs around 2,000 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 100 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
5-9
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.5 - 8
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells), excessive (dry/moderately dry)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
-10°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
Growable Ground Plant Database
Minimum Growing Temperature
39.2°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Days to Maturity
85 days
English thyme; perennial; cut-and-come-again. Full sun, well-drained.
UMD-Herb; RHS
GDD Required
2000+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
1 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
100+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant thyme in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Thyme prefers pH 4.5 to 8 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at maturity
Thyme is ready about 85 days after planting (UMD-Herb; RHS). Snip sprigs as you need them — regular cutting keeps the foliage tender and slows it bolting to flower.
Where Thyme thrives
Thyme is hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 5–9 spans average winter lows from -20°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 25 outright and splits 25 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 5–9·Where Thyme growsOpen map →
Where Thyme stands, state by state
Thyme is rated for zones 5–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 25 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 25 more, and 1 sits outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 5–9
25 states
3 of 25 shown
The line runs through
25 states
3 of 25 shown
Thyme’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 5–9
1 state
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Thyme
Growing guides for thyme
In rotation planning, thyme counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — thyme isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Thyme is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Before you harvest thyme, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant thyme for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Thyme's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Thyme will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether thyme actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Thyme
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Thyme in my zone?
Thyme grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 9 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Thyme take to grow?
Thyme is ready to harvest about 85 days after planting (UMD-Herb; RHS). Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Thyme?
Most growers plant thyme after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 100-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Thyme need?
Thyme needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Thyme need?
Thyme prefers soil pH 4.5 to 8, on well-drained to fast-draining ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Thyme attract pollinators?
Yes — thyme's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Thyme safe for pets?
Thyme is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)