Thyme planting calendar
When to plant thyme — pick your state
Thyme timing swings hard by climate — choose your state for sow, transplant, and harvest dates calibrated to its USDA zone and frost window.
Northeast
Southeast
Midwest
Southwest
West
Pacific
Not listed: Alaska, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming — the dominant climate zone there is outside thyme's practical range, so a generic calendar would mislead more than it helps.
Common questions
When should I plant thyme?
Start seeds indoors 8–10 weeks before the last spring frost; germination takes 14–21 days at 18–21 °C (65–70 °F). Harden off transplants and set out around the date of last frost — thyme is perennial in USDA zones 5–9 (RHS H5) but resents waterlogged soil far more than cold. In the first growing season allow only light harvesting so the plant can establish; full harvests from the second year onward, cutting stems back to 4–5 cm above woody growth. Because the right window depends on your local frost dates, pick your US state above for a calendar with exact sow, transplant, and harvest dates.
Does the best time to plant thyme vary by state?
Yes — planting dates swing by several weeks across the US because each state sits in a different USDA zone with its own frost window. Every state page here gives thyme dates calibrated to that state's climate.
How are these thyme planting dates calculated?
Each state's dates come from that state's dominant USDA hardiness zone and NOAA average frost dates, then adjusted for thyme's cold tolerance and days to maturity.