Evergreen herbs like thyme can be harvested all year round. To do this, pick the leaves at any point during the growth phase. Make sure, however, that you only harvest a few shoots from around the middle to the end of August, as these need to be able to harden off in time for winter. In order to survive the cold season unscathed, thyme needs mature shoots - just like the other hardy Mediterranean herbs.
The right harvest time
Harvest the leaves either in the late morning or midday after the dew has evaporated from the leaves. The leaves are at their most flavored just before flowering and also contain the highest concentrations of the precious essential oils at this time. When harvesting flowers, pick them at midday in dry weather, when the flower is beginning to fully open.
collect seeds
Collect the seeds on a warm and dry day when they are hard and ripe. You can dry them and store them in a paper bag over the winter until you can finally sow them in early spring. In this way you can grow your thyme plants yourself and do not have to constantly buy new seeds or young plants. In addition, thyme can be propagated very well via offshoots, cuttings and also by division.
cut thyme
Thyme is a perennial plant and as such becomes woody over time. For this reason, regular harvesting of the plant is also a form of care that counteracts lignification and thus bare growth. Therefore, make sure to prune thyme evenly - after all, it should keep its beautiful, bushy shape - and above all to remove older shoots. Do not cut into the woody parts, as new branches usually do not grow from them. Harvest regularly as this will keep the plants compact and bushy and will also encourage new, fresh and flavorful shoots. The actual pruning takes place in the spring.
The best place for a herb garden
If possible, create your herb garden not too far away from the kitchen. It's far more pleasant to simply open the window or just step outside the kitchen door and harvest a handful of fresh thyme or other herbs than to walk to the back of the garden in the pouring rain. Thyme is also very good in pots, because the Mediterranean plant likes the well-drained conditions in such planters. It is entirely possible to create a useful and attractive herb garden in small planters placed on a windowsill in the sun year-round for easily accessible herbs.
Store harvested thyme properly
Thyme that has just been harvested should either be used immediately or, if you do not need it immediately after picking, preserved as soon as possible. Otherwise, the valuable essential oils will evaporate and the herb will lose both its aromatic and medicinal properties. Therefore, make sure that your harvested herbs are stored loosely and that sufficient air can circulate around them so that they are not crushed, crushed or otherwise damaged before use or further processing. Traditional wicker baskets are ideal for this purpose.
tips and tricks
The active substances that naturopaths use for medical purposes are usually highest in perennial herbs such as thyme in the second and third year of growth, after which the concentration decreases again. Therefore, a thyme plant should not be cultivated for longer than three to four years.
IJA