Thyme is a woody-stemmed herb from the Mediterranean region that lends big flavor to foods with its tiny leaves. Knowing how to harvest thyme correctly is important to prevent too much woodiness. Also, if you pick too much of this herb at once, you risk damaging or even killing the plant. This guide explains when and how to harvest thyme to ensure you get the freshest herbs and keep your thyme plants healthy.
When to Harvest Thyme
Harvesting thyme regularly keeps thyme plants from becoming woody and encourages plants to leaf out and produce more branches. Harvesting thyme throughout the season provides your kitchen with all the fresh thyme you need for your favorite recipes. However, thyme can be harvested in different ways, depending on how you want to use the fresh herbs and if you intend to dry them.
For the best result, pick thyme in the early morning after the dew has dried on the plant’s leaves. This enhances the flavor of thyme leaves and helps ensure the fresh thyme dries quickly.
If you need only a sprig or two of thyme to use in cooking, you can harvest the thyme at any point during the growing season by clipping away a few branches. Fresh thyme sprigs regrow quickly, and since you’re not taking many leaves off the plant, you don’t need to worry about overpruning.
However, if you want to harvest a large amount of thyme for drying, only harvest thyme two or three times a year. Ideally, large thyme harvests should occur in spring and again in early summer, right before thyme plants flower. Harvesting thyme before the plant blooms results in the tastiest herbs because the plant’s leaves are packed with flavorful oils at this point in the growing season. If needed, thyme plants can be harvested again in August, but harvesting thyme later than that is not recommended because the plants need time to recover before winter.
How to Harvest Thyme Correctly
When you are harvesting only a few sprigs of thyme, clip off the thyme branches you need with sharp scissors or pruners. Cut young, tender thyme branches all the way down to the soil and woody branches immediately above a leaf node to encourage branching.
Keep rubber bands around your wrist when you harvest thyme, and bundle the thyme sprigs as you work. This keeps you from dropping the herb in your culinary gardens and makes it easier to air-dry the fresh thyme later on.
For larger thyme harvests, use sharp scissors or pruners and clip away the top one-third to one-half of the plant, making the pruning cut immediately above a leaf node. Start with the biggest, most mature thyme stems and work your way around the plant, harvesting and shaping the thyme as you go. Just make sure to never harvest more than half the height of the plant at one time and leave at least 5 inches of stems and plenty of green leaves on the plant after harvesting.
If you harvest more thyme than you can use, you can propagate thyme stem cuttings in soil with a bit of rooting hormone.
How to Store Fresh Thyme
You can use fresh thyme straight out of the garden or store it in your fridge for up to two weeks by wrapping thyme sprigs in a beeswax wrap or a plastic baggie. For longer-term storage, freeze thyme in ice cube trays or dry it by air-drying or with a food dehydrator.
When air-drying, hang small bundles of thyme in a cool, dark place that’s out of direct sunlight and allow the thyme to dry for one to two weeks. You’ll know the thyme is thoroughly dried when you can easily crumble the stems and leaves between your fingers. After the thyme is completely dry, store it whole in airtight containers for up to two years, and only crush or grind dried thyme just before you intend to use it to ensure the leaves retain their flavorful oils.
How to Continue Harvesting Thyme in Winter
Thyme will either stop growing or die down in winter and will start growing again during the spring. However, if you want to continue harvesting thyme during the colder months of the year, you can plant it in potted containers and bring them indoors. Place them in a sunny location with loamy, well-draining soil to continue your harvest.