How to Grow Thyme: Thyme Companion Planting Guide
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jun 7, 2021 • 2 min read
Companion planting is a gardening strategy of placing different crops together to increase growth and quality. Thyme, part of the Lamiaceae family (mint), is a hardy perennial that prefers drier and sandier environments. Although a variety of herbs (and even flowers, like marigolds and nasturtiums) can often be planted together, certain kinds like parsley, cilantro, tarragon, basil and chives prefer a more moist soil, and should not be planted directly with thyme.
Thyme loves hot temperatures, is drought-tolerant, and requires relatively little maintenance. Creeping, woolly, lemon thyme, and hyssop thyme are just three of 300 varieties of thyme that exist. Thyme, like other aromatic herbs, works well with many garden plants in boosting defenses and increasing growth.
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8 Companion Plants to Grow With Thyme
Thyme can flourish next to rosemary, sage, marjoram, and oregano in your herb garden, but it also makes for a great companion plant in your vegetable garden that gives more benefits than it receives. Some of the best companions for thyme are:
- 1. Strawberries. Thyme works as a deterrent to worms. Thyme planted between your strawberry rows can help smother weeds and provide ground cover for your soil to help keep it moist.
- 2. Cabbage family crops. Brassicas like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, and kohlrabi (German for “cabbage turnip”), can attract cabbage worms, cabbage loopers, cabbage moths, aphids, and flea beetles. Thyme not only works as an effective repellent against most of these insect pests but as a lure for ladybugs as well, which can consume over 50 aphids a day, while also serving as crop pollinators.
- 3. Tomatoes. Thyme is a natural repellent against the tomato hornworm, which is the tomato plant’s most detrimental garden pest, as well as whiteflies. Plant thyme near your tomatoes to boost their defenses, as well as enhancing their flavor when they ripen.
- 4. Eggplants. Thyme makes a good companion plant for this nightshade, as it serves as an organic deterrent for garden moths.
- 5. Potatoes. Along with chamomile and basil, thyme can improve your potato tubers’ flavor. Thyme can also lure in beneficial insects—like parasitic wasps—for protection against pests like Colorado potato beetles, which can decimate your crop.
- 6. Blueberries. If you have a blueberry bush, plant some thyme nearby to attract honey bees for pollination. Blueberries may require a higher soil acidity, but thyme can thrive in a wide pH range, making it a hardy and useful herb.
- 7. Shallots. Planting thyme near shallots can help improve and enhance their flavor.
- 8. Roses. If you have a rosebush you can’t seem to keep safe from blackflies and aphids, thyme is an excellent companion plant to have nearby.
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