I want to harvest some Thyme to dry and use in cooking later on. It is too late now that it has set bloom? When is the best time to harvest it? Thank you to anyone who can help.
Ruby
Thyme blooms ?
I cut mine at least twice a season; once in mid-Spring to delay bloom and again after it blooms. I sometimes do a third, and smaller cut in late summer. If you've got some lengthy stems on the outside of the plant, bury them by leaning downwards with some light soil. If it's in a pot, try to twine it a bit and then sprinkle with soil until it's held down. Then prune the plant low. It will die out from the middle and benefits from both clipping and burying. You can also divide a chunk off from the middle to start a new planting without digging up the whole plant. One method gives you herbs to eat and the others propagate the plant.
Harvest the leaves by gently running fingers from bottom to top of cuttings and include the soft stems at the top. They will break off naturally. If you wait until it's dry you will spend a ridiculous amount of time sifting stems from leaves. Thyme is not the the easiest herb to harvest. A comfortable chair and a good movie make it a reasonable way to pass the time. :>)
Laurel
Thanks Laurel. Good to know about not waiting until they are dry to harvest. Don't want to create extra work for myself. I will try your hints and hopefully be able too keep Thyme as something I won't have to buy at the grocery store. I like that.
Ruby
I don't dry fresh herbs, I freeze them... mince them in the food processor, add some olive oil, and put in ice cube trays (mini cubes are good for thyme and rosemary, because of their stronger flavors). You could also just add enough olive oil to coat the leaves (un-minced) and put in a freezer baggie. The oil helps retain the color and flavor of the fresh herbs.
Great ideas Critter. Might have to give freezing a try. I still haven't harvested any of the Thyme but did get a good supply of Rosemary and a bit of Oregano. I have been meaning to go out every day this week and get more of the Oregano, but still haven't gotten back. I will definitely be using a lot more than I picked the first day.
The Rosemary bush is so large that it fell over. John said something about moving it this fall. I hope that it will survive the move okay because I would hate to lose it at this stage of the game. It is probably about four or five years old now and resided indoors for a year or so before being planted.
Does anyone know whether it would be best to leave it be or will moving it possibly be too much for it? I hope that everyone is having a good weekend.
Ruby
Unless you really hate it where it is, I would suggest getting a new rosemary for whatever other spot needs one. In my limited experience, it's hard to move larger woody herbs. Maybe I'm just doing it wrong, but I'd hate for you to lose a plant you love. You can prune it back pretty hard (the official word is to cut branches back by 1/3, but I've cut back farther still; just don't cut beyond the active growing green part), although I would wait until less hot hot weather or even until early next spring.
Thanks Critter. It has done so well where it is. Maybe I can talk John in to moving the plants behind it instead. hahaha Poor guy, I have things scheduled for him to do that will take years to complete. hahaha One good thing, despite the horrible temperatures we are having this year, he has been steadily working on the rock walkway. He is making good progress. This has certainly been a long and drawn out thing, but it looks as though the end is in sight now. Hallelujah!!!
I will let you know what I decide about the Rosemary bush.
Ruby
I agree with Critter that the Rosemary might be a challenge to move. An option would be to bend some outside branches into shallow 1" trenches, place 4-6" of stem along the trench lines and bury the stems. Weight each with a rock. Ya gotta have the trench dug, the dirt to mound and the rock in hand or the stems will pop back out. The stems will root in no time. Then, when you are ready to move the mama rosemary, clip the stems and dig. You can try to relocate her and the stems will fill in the empty space next year. I had to do this recently after a chipmunk made a house under my aged rosemary, killing off most of the main plant.
Laurel
Hi Laurel - Thank you for writing with your suggestion of what to do with the Rosemary bush. I guess that I haven't accessed Dave's Garden website since the end of July. Please forgive me for seeming not to answer when you wrote this. I appreciate any and all info on plants. I hate it when I lose anything. Sorry that hairy little critter made a mess of your Rosemary bush. You showed him though, didn't you? hahaha Thanks again, just might do what you suggest.
Ruby
You are welcome and don't apologize for the absence. It's easiest to go off and get a young, new plant but you end up with a seed grown plant that takes longer to establish than bent stems from an established plant. Good luck.
Laurel