Not just thyme, lemon thyme! One of my best friends gave me some from her garden last year, and this was one of my first plants in my first garden last season. I’m very attached to this plant for that reason – it’s been with me for awhile now! While I wasn’t sure at first how I was going to make use of it, I’ve now discovered several uses and benefits of this tasty herb.
Thyme is easy to grow, and it’s drought tolerant so it doesn’t need to be watered every day, even in the summer like many of my other plants.
Growing Thyme
- Thyme will over-winter
- Because it’s draught tolerant, it should be planted with similar plants. Mine is planted with rosemary and oregano, which also over-winter…this means no repotting at the end of the season.
- Harvesting is easy – cut off the amount you want to use with a pair of scissors. Snip near the base of the plant.
- Because it’s drought tolerant, it does not need to full sun. If, like me, you have limited space and limited spots that get full sun, don’t put the thyme in full sun. Put your veggies there instead. Four hours or even a bit less is fine for this herb.
Uses for Lemon Thyme
- In salads
- As a breath freshener
On fish or chicken – my best friend uses lemon thyme, lemon pepper and key lime juice as the marinade for chicken/fish and then either grills or bakes in the oven. The PERFECT summer dish. - Pain and stomach relief
- Relief from bronchitis, whooping cough, colic and arthritis
- Treats intestinal gas, parasitic worms and skin disorders
- Increases urine flow
- Urine disinfectant
- Appetite suppressant
- In toothpaste, thyme is a germ-killer and a natural way to fight tooth decay
- The herbs and/or the oils can be used in perfumes, soaps and essential oils
- On a fresh vegetable dish, like this Corn Asparagus Salad:
If you grow any type of thyme, what do you use it for? It’s truly amazing how many health benefits there are from this easy-to-grow and very fruitful herb! I hope you try growing some this season.
For more about my Summer Garden Series, see this post. If you missed the last post, you can learn more about parsley here.
Next up in the series is cilantro – and I’m sharing my homemade guacamole recipe!
Source for health benefits: WebMD