Thyme planting and care outdoors in the middle lane

Cultivation of thyme in central Russia and the Urals

Thyme, also known as thyme or oregano, is a widespread, perennial semi-shrub or creeping plant that grows throughout Eurasia, as well as in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and other countries with a temperate climate.

Briefly about thyme The main qualities of thyme

The main features of thyme:

• prefers sandy, rocky soil;
• grows well on the ground with an admixture of chernozem, in the steppe and dry forests, on the rocky slopes of mountains and hills;
• loves a lot of sunlight;
• hardy;
• drought-resistant.

The value of thyme, first of all, lies in its medicinal qualities, but a pleasant aroma also adds advantages to this plant, especially among summer residents and gardeners. It is put into food as a seasoning, tea is brewed, added to pillow stuffing, used in perfumery. Thyme has many bactericidal and expectorant properties, which make it possible to use it in the treatment of various diseases. A wonderful honey plant, bees never bypass it.

Wild thyme has been cultivated for a long time so that it can be grown not only at home or in the garden, but also on an industrial scale. It takes root well and multiplies easily, unpretentious. You can sow with seeds, and also divide the bush.

Due to its undemanding nature, the cultivation of thyme is possible on almost any soil, but still prefers light nutritious, non-acidic substrates. The clay soil is completely unsuitable for him, since the stagnation of water in it is fatal for thyme.

Diseases and pests of thyme are not terrible. The latter are discouraged by its spicy aroma; it is also resistant to diseases. Only improper growing conditions and care can cause harm, for example, gray mold damage due to waterlogging. To prevent this from happening, you need to constantly monitor the moisture level and water sparingly.

Occasionally, young shoots of thyme can spoil aphids, which are easy to deal with with the help of such a solution: dilute 1 tablespoon of soda ash in a liter of water, add laundry soap, strain and process infected bushes. Poisons are undesirable, since thyme is used for food.

Cultivation of thyme in the Moscow region Cultivation of thyme in the Moscow region

The climate of the Moscow region is moderately continental. It has relatively warm dry summers and frosty snowy winters.Sod-podzolic soils prevail on the territory of the Moscow region, which are widespread throughout the region, with the exception of the southern outskirts. This is a nutritious fertile land suitable for growing thyme. The south and southwest are represented by gray forest chernozems - slightly acidic, with a high humus content, suitable for agriculture.

On such soils, thyme takes root well, so its cultivation does not require a lot of time. It winters well under snow cover, in summer it feels great in a drained substrate (it is important that excess moisture does not stagnate around it) in an open sunny area. In nature, you can meet him on the outskirts of forests, in open glades, hills.

Thyme loves rocky terrain and hills

Of the many species in the Moscow region, the most common cultivation of two of them - common and creeping thyme. Reproduction is simple: by seeds or by dividing the bush. Except for medical purposes, thyme beds are grown to decorate the garden. The carpet of its small flowers fits perfectly into the design of flower beds, stone slides. Long bloom, from May to September. Grass should be harvested at the beginning of summer, when the bushes have already gained strength. Drying, like all medicinal potions, is necessary in the shade, tying the stems into bunches and hanging them with their heads down.

Thyme care is minimal:

• watering if necessary (do not forget that he does not like excess moisture and is drought-resistant);
• weed removal;
• pruning to keep the bush compact and lush;
• fine gravel mulching is highly desirable.

Once every two years, it is better to plant overgrown rugs, since the thyme becomes cramped, it blooms less, the flowers become smaller. In this case, 3-4 new ones can be formed from one large bush. Planting for cultivation must be done at a distance of at least 30 cm from each other.

Cultivation of thyme in the Urals Thyme in the Urals

Thyme also grows in the wild in the Urals, in the Amur Region and even in the Far East. It is found mainly in the Southern Urals, where the climate is not too harsh. The Ural soil is mostly rocky, there are podzolic and gray forest lands, and black soil can be found in the south. Here is a very favorable environment for the growth of thyme. He chooses open, illuminated areas, more often on hills, on mountain slopes.

In the garden, thyme can be grown a little further north, but winter care will be required here. If in the Moscow region the bushes winter well on their own, then in the conditions of the Urals they must be covered for the winter.

To grow thyme in the north, you must:

• in the second half of October, when the first frosts have not yet hit, the plants are watered;
• cover with cardboard or lutrasil, which will protect them from freezing;
• in the spring, at the beginning of May, the shelter is removed;
• cut dry and frostbitten twigs with pruning shears. You can use Brigadier, Grinda, Raco, Instrument-Agro, Tsentroinstrument, Fiskars.

Further care and procurement are the same as in the Moscow region.

Outcome

The cultivation of thyme (thyme) is successfully carried out both in central Russia and much further north. The climate in the Moscow region is milder, the soil is more fertile, so no special care is required. The Ural climate is harsher, but even here this thyme winters well with minimal shelter. The quality of the soil can be improved by creating the perfect substrate for its growth, and this healing herb will delight you with a harvest and a heady aroma in any conditions.

With proper care and preparation, you can transplant seed-grown thyme. It will take root perfectly and will delight your eyes with beautiful flowers.

Thyme, or it is also called Bogorodskaya grass, is popularly called thyme. Its varieties are found not only in Europe, but also in Southeast Asia, as well as in northern Africa.Today we will introduce you to the most common varieties of thyme, describe in detail the process of growing, planting, care in the open field, and also pay attention to how to propagate a plant.

Creeping thyme: varieties and varieties

Creeping thyme belongs to the species of low-growing dwarf shrubs. The height of the plant rarely reaches more than 15 cm. It is called so because of its peculiarity to creep along the soil, forming a soft fragrant carpet. The flowers have a bright purple hue and are collected in capitate inflorescences. This type is most often used by gardeners. It is used in landscape design because it blooms continuously all summer. The most common varieties of thyme are:

• "Colchis" - has light lilac flowers and spreads low (10 cm) on the ground;

Variety "Kolkhida"

• "Donna Valley" - grows with a dense carpet, the leaves are bordered by a yellow stripe, the flowering is constant pink;
• "Silver Queen" - forms a rather high (20 cm) loose carpet, gray leaves with white edging, densely arranged inflorescences have a lavender hue.

Creeping thyme belongs to the type of thyme, among which you can also find:

1. Common thyme. A plant with a small growth of 5-10 cm. The leaves have a light down at the bottom. Flowering - white and pale lilac shade.

   Thyme ordinary

2. Lemon-scented thyme. It got its name due to its spicy aroma with subtle lemon notes, as well as the yellowish color of young leaves. The most popular varieties:

   Lemon-scented thyme

   • "Aurea" - has a bright yellow color;
   • "Bertram Anderson" - has green leaves covered with yellow spots.
3. Early thyme. It blooms earlier than others, but also fades a little faster. In our country, there are such varieties:

   Early thyme

   • "Minor" - has the slowest growth and small fluffy leaves;
   • "Pseudolanuginosus" - has sharp green leaves with excessive pubescence, blooms very profusely.

Planting a plant

Thyme is grown on light, loose soil. Sunlight has a beneficial effect on its development, therefore, planting in open ground is carried out in a well-lit place.

In order for perennial plants to take root well, the site must be carefully dug up in the fall. And add organic fertilizer (compost or manure). In the spring, when the weather is warm outside with a temperature of at least 13 ° C, the soil is dug up again and seeds are sown.

Advice! After the thyme has been sown, you can sprinkle the seeds with river sand. It will provide young shoots with additional nutrients and prevent water from stagnating on the surface.

After the seedlings sprout and grow a little, it is necessary to thin out the planting. The ideal distance between plants is 30-35 cm.

Fertilize and dig up the soil before planting thyme

In the open field, planting can also be carried out with the help of seedlings. To do this, at the end of winter, thyme is sown in prepared trays. Watering the seedlings is carried out regularly, but not abundantly. Thyme rises under glass, which creates the effect of a greenhouse. After 3-4 weeks, the seedlings are taken out into the open air for hardening, and after another 2 weeks they are planted in a permanent place.

Thyme care

The first thing to do for the thyme after planting is to pin the tip of the stem, so the plant will form into a beautiful lush bush. Perennial crops need seasonal pruning. In autumn, when the flowering of thyme has stopped, it is necessary to shorten the bushes. In the new season, you will see how this procedure helped the plant to thicken and acquire a decorative shape.

Shape the plant as it grows to create a beautiful bush.

It is very important for thyme to regularly weed and remove weeds, which draw out most of the nutrients from the soil.Since thyme is already growing rather slowly, "unwanted neighbors" will further inhibit its growth.

Caring for the plant also means watering it, which should be done no more than twice a week in dry weather and even less often if the summer is not very hot.

Important! Cover perennials with peat or fallen leaves for the winter.

Fertilization and feeding

It is undesirable for thyme to add fresh manure to the soil. Growing thyme outdoors allows the use of wood ash. It will not only add nutrients to the soil, but also reduce acidity.

Feed perennials with mineral fertilizers

The first fertilization of thyme is carried out with urea in early spring. If this is the first year, then even before germination, and in the second and subsequent years with spring pruning.

Advice! Mineral fertilizers can be applied from the second year of life of creeping thyme.

Propagation of thyme

The propagation of varieties of creeping thyme in the open field is carried out in three ways:

1. Seeds. The planting material is harvested in autumn and dried until spring. Then sow and cover with foil. Planting seeds in the fall is also allowed.

   Pattern: thyme bush

2. Cuttings. This method is convenient because the seedlings are already strong. Cuttings are selected for spring or autumn pruning. For planting, take the strongest of all. It is they who will subsequently form a new bush.
3. By dividing the bush. A very painful method for the plant. When carrying out such a reproduction of thyme, the entire bush is dug up and divided in half. Special care is required. It is very important not to damage the root system, otherwise the plant may get sick or even die.

Diseases and pests

Creeping thyme is very resistant to attacks of pathogenic bacteria and pests. Planting and caring for him is not difficult. It is unpretentious, but its only drawback is its slow growth.

The main pests of the Bogorodskaya grass are:

• weevil;
• meadow moth;
• aphid;
• sandy slow.

Sandy beetle

Thyme can also be affected by some fungal diseases. This is due to a violation of the cultivation technique. Excessive watering, rare weeding, shading of the plant lead to the spread of fungi on it.

Deep plowing, regular loosening of the root section of the soil, and timely weeding will save you from insect pests. Pests can also be removed by applying a fertilizer containing lime or other alkaline fertilizers.

Creeping thyme: combination with other plants

Thyme looks great in group or joint plantings. It can be used as a background for plants with large textured leaves. They often play on the contrast of colors in combination with geycher.

Thyme in landscape design

Thyme creeping with its powerful aroma attracts a large number of butterflies, bees and other pollinating insects. Therefore, it can be planted next to cucumber beds. Flying to the smell of thyme, the bees will help pollinate the rest of the vegetable crops.

Thyme or Bogorodskaya herb is the main component in the composition of bouquets made for the feast of the Holy Trinity. Such bundles also include wormwood, mint and lovage. Since ancient times, it was believed that the combination of their aromas would drive away all evil spirits from the dwelling.

Creeping thyme in landscape design

Being a low semi-shrub spreading along the ground, in landscape design, thyme is used as a background for alpine slides and mixboards. But he can act there and in the main role. Looks very good on scree.

Rockery decoration with thyme

Growing creeping thyme will be a lot of fun for you. You can enjoy not only the beautiful appearance of the fluffy pillow bushes, but also its wonderful spicy scent. And what bright and rich photos are obtained against the background of thyme - just a feast for the eyes.

Growing thyme: video

Varieties of thyme: photo

Thyme is a well-known perennial plant. It is a semi-shrub, reaching a height of forty centimeters, consisting of thin stems that grow along the ground. It has thin, small, oval-shaped green leaves. The flowers of the thyme are small and very pleasant with a pinkish-purple hue. They are located at the ends of the branches, forming bunches. The fruits of the plant are four nuts located at the base of the calyx. During flowering, the plant exudes a fragrant aroma, thereby attracting a large number of insects. Propagated both by seeds and vegetatively.

Thyme

The flowering period of the plant occurs in the first two months of summer. Fruits ripen in August and early September. The inhabitants of our country are familiar with this plant under different names. Among them: thyme, shaber, Bogorodskaya grass. This wonderful herb can be found in many regions of the Russian Federation: in its European part, in Kazakhstan, in the Caucasus, Transbaikalia, in the western part of Siberia, in Ukraine. Loves thyme forest ravines and slopes of gullies, prefers sandy soil. On arable land, it spreads over bumps and grows strongly. If the plant settles in spacious meadows, it forms huge thickets of striking pinkish as well as purple color.

Since the days of Avicenna, Roman warriors have used thyme for bathing to provide themselves with vigor and vitality. Our ancestors used this plant for rituals and treatment of diseases. With its help, they scared away evil spirits, cured children's fear, protected themselves from the evil eye and damage. And this herb got the name "Bogorodskaya" because since the time of ancient Russia, the icon of the Mother of God has traditionally been decorated with it. Today, thyme is widely used not only in the treatment of various diseases. Its taste and aroma qualities are widely used in cooking and cosmetology, thanks to its external attractiveness and pleasant aroma, it is happily bred by gardeners in their dachas and in flower beds. In addition, thyme is an excellent honey plant that bees love very much.

In the conditions of our country, three varieties of this plant are common: creeping, common and Marshall thyme. Thyme does not occur in the wild, it is a species cultivated by man. And the remaining two species can often be found in the wild.

How to grow thyme yourself

Due to its pleasant external data, unpretentiousness and the presence of many useful properties, thyme herb is a welcome inhabitant in every garden, dacha and vegetable garden. Bogorodskaya grass loves well-lit warm areas, tolerates shade, but it grows and looks worse there. Light soils with normal or slightly high acidity are well suited for the plant. Before planting, preparing the ground in the garden for winter, it is well dug up, weeds and roots, plant remains are removed. At the same time, ripe manure and fertilizers of phosphorus-potassium composition (double superphosphate) are introduced. In the middle of spring, the soil must be dug up again, broken up clods and urea added, about twenty grams. In a day, seeds can be sown on the soil surface, sprinkling them on top with a small layer of river sand, no more than one centimeter thick. It is better to plant the seeds in rows, so that the distance between them is about forty centimeters, and then cover with a film.

You can sow seeds often, and then thin out the seedlings by replanting the strongest growth to another area in the garden. This must be done in such a way that the distance between adjacent plants in a row is close to thirty centimeters. The most favorable temperature for seed germination is within twenty degrees Celsius. The first “sprouting” of sprouts can be seen in fifteen days.

The development of thyme is slow, so growing from seedlings is a completely acceptable method of breeding it.You need to start planting a flower in the second decade of March, observing the principle of surface distribution of seeds in special containers, as in the case of sowing in open garden soil. At the same time, it is better to mix the seed material with river sand or grind it with calcined sand, at the end of sowing. For planting seedlings in open ground, seventy-day seedlings are suitable. The rules for transferring it to garden soil are identical to growing from seeds.

Bogorodskaya grass can grow in one place within five years. For planting it, you can allocate a separate place in the garden, or you can grow a garden flower after vegetables.

Necessary care

It is not difficult to properly monitor thyme, its needs are not numerous, and caring for it does not require a lot of physical effort. It is necessary to occasionally weed the plant and loosen the soil around it. It is best to water frequently, but not too abundantly. This will prevent the soil from drying out and protect it from acidification. Bogorodskaya grass tolerates winter frosts well, but it is better to play it safe and cover in autumn with fallen leaves. Peat is also well suited for shelter and mulching.

The first top dressing with urea should be correctly applied in early spring. And when the greens are cut, it is better to use nitrogen phosphate fertilizers. Starting from the second season, it is good to feed the thyme in the spring with mineral fertilizers and liquid mullein. It is important to do it right - fresh manure can destroy the plant.

By pruning a garden flower at the woody level, dense and compact bushes can be formed.

Reproduction

Bogorodskaya grass propagates equally well both by seeds and vegetatively: by dividing the bush and by cuttings. To propagate an old bush, it is dug out of the ground and carefully divided into smaller parts so as not to damage the roots and the ground part. Another way to plant thyme is to root the stem. For this purpose, annual creeping shoots are cut into several parts, up to five centimeters long. In the spring, they are planted in the ground under a jar or in a greenhouse. The rooting process takes approximately two weeks.

The advantage of seed propagation is that large plantations of flowers can be grown in this way.

When and how to harvest thyme

Traditionally, Trinity is considered the best time to harvest thyme. It is believed that Bogorodskaya grass accumulates the maximum healing qualities during this period.

The fragrant flower is carefully cut with a knife along with a leafy stem. And then it is dried according to the general rules: in a place protected from sunlight and in a well-ventilated place, spread out in a thin layer on a cloth or suspended in bunches under a roof.

What is thyme afraid of?

In order to avoid decay of the roots of a young plant and acidification of the soil, it is very important to avoid stagnation of water in the first year of its growth. For the rest, thyme is resistant to various diseases and pests due to the presence of aromatic substances abundantly exuded by the flower. But, if the care of the plant is not sufficient, then such pests can affect it:

• Meadow moth - mainly affects stems and leaves. These pests are most active on summer nights. To combat it, insecticides are used.
• Sandy linger is a black beetle, up to one centimeter long. Affects all terrestrial parts of the plant. You can exterminate it using poisoned baits.
• Weevil is a black garden beetle, up to three millimeters long, affects young shoots and leaves, flower buds. You can get rid of it with the help of insecticides and poisoned baits.
• Aphids are small static insects that attack greenery and stems. Sensitive to insecticide.

Growing on a windowsill

Due to its unpretentiousness, Bogorodskaya grass is easily cultivated at home and requires minimal maintenance. With its help, your home will not only be decorated with beautiful flowers all autumn and winter, but there will always be fresh aromatic seasoning and medicine available.You can plant a flower in the ground for growing cacti. In the spring, this can be done with the help of seeds, and in the fall, divide the shrub taken in the country or in the garden, and, after dividing it, plant it in a container a little more than the root system. Growing thyme in a pot will not be difficult if the main condition is met - good drainage.

Another important point is the choice of the location where the fragrant flower will be located. To do this, it is better to choose the sill of the southern window, where the sun stays the longest. In this case, the plant forms a dense bush with bright greenery. Under other conditions, the flower will stretch upward and will not become attractive even if excellent care is taken.

Thyme, he is

thyme

creeping, or "

Bogorodskaya grass

". It is no coincidence that he is called so: on the day of the Holy Trinity, houses are decorated with it, and on the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, he can be seen as a crown to the icon of the Theotokos.

Thyme

- a storehouse of useful substances. This herb has been widely used in Russia at all times. I myself often use it as a "help" for a child with a strong cough. On me

thyme tea

acts as an anti-fatigue agent, soothing. There is something unique and special in the smell of thyme. I confess that I have been using the thyme collected in the mountains of Karachay-Cherkessia for several years now, and I have planted it only this year.

This plant belongs to family... The genus of thyme (Thymus) is complex, it includes low shrubs and semi-shrubs with pronounced aromatic properties.

Thyme is the richest "storehouse" of medicinal essential oil. Its stems are stiff, recumbent or erect. Their height is about 35 cm. Flowers at the ends of the inflorescences are collected in heads or small panicles. The color is quite varied: from white to pink, purple and even yellow.

I am attracted by its small flowers as an addition to other plants. But not only flowers are decorative. Thyme has unusual leaves. They can be oblong or rounded, of various sizes, with smooth or jagged edges. It is an excellent plant for alpine slides and rockeries.

Not to be confused with thyme and savory, read more about this in the article of the same name.

We used to call thymecreeping thyme, but there are many more species and varieties that grow with us and are loved by gardeners. On the territory of our country, about 170 different types of thyme... The most popular and interesting you will find in the publication Thyme in your garden: species and varieties. It is worth planting several of them in your garden, and on a sultry evening, a wonderful smell will cheer you up.

Thyme is a fairly unpretentious plant, the main thing is to take into account the basic principles of its cultivation, and there will never be problems with it.

Planting thyme

Choose for thyme bright warm place, in the shade he feels worse. Thyme will perfectly complement the alpine slides, paths, and the surroundings of the decorative pond will take on a different look with it.

Preference should be given light, loose, not acidic soils. 

• Dig the soil well in the fall, removing the roots of weeds and extraneous plants from it.
• Apply compost or rotted manure, as well as phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. I brought in double superphosphate.
• In the spring, in mid-April, dig up the soil, break up the clods, add about 20 g of urea.
• The next day, sow seeds on the surface of the soil, sprinkling them with river sand on top (with a layer of about 1 cm). I recommend sowing in rows, taking about 40 cm between them.
• Cover with foil.

I sowed very often, I broke through unnecessary ones, planted the strongest of the broken seedlings in another place. At first they languished a little, but then they took root. There should be about 30 cm between the plants in a row. The optimum temperature for friendly seedlings is about +20 ° C. In this case, it will take about 15 days from sowing to germination.

Thyme develops slowly, and its seeds are small, therefore, it is preferable for seed reproductionseedling method. 

• Seedlings should be planted in the middle of March... In prepared containers, as well as in open ground, the seeds are not sealed, but distributed over the surface, sprinkled with calcined river sand from above or mixed with it.
• Good seedlings for planting in the ground should be about 70 days old.
• The scheme for planting plants in open ground is the same as for the non-seedling method.

Thyme predecessors there may be vegetables, but still it is worth allocating a separate place for it. He grows in this place for about 5 years.

Thyme care

Be sure to weed and loosen your plantings carefully. Water the thyme, but do not overflow. So that there is no dryness of the soil, but at the same time its acidification is excluded. Thyme is winter-hardy, but still I cover mine with fallen birch leaves.

I make the first top dressing in the early spring in the form of urea. When you cut your greens, you can support your plant with Azophos. From the second year of life in the spring, you can feed the thyme with liquid mullein and mineral fertilizers. Need to know: thyme does not like fresh manure.

If you trim the thyme to the woody parts, the bushes will be leaner and denser.

Propagation of thyme

Thyme multiplies seeds and vegetatively (by cuttings and dividing the bush).

• When dividing, it is necessary to dig out the bush and carefully, without injuring the roots, divide it into parts.
• You can root the cuttings. To do this, creeping annual shoots must be cut into pieces of about 5 cm and root them in the spring under a jar or in greenhouse conditions. Avoid souring and excessive moisture so that the plant does not rot. After a couple of weeks, the cutting will take root.

The advantage of seed propagation is that a large number of plants can be obtained with it.

Collection of thyme

By tradition, thyme is harvested on Trinity. It was believed that it was on this day that thyme has the maximum healing effect.

The raw materials are collected during the flowering period. Leafy twigs are cut with a sharp knife. Do not damage the plant by breaking and pulling it off. You can easily pull it out, but it will take effort to grow back.

It dries in the same way as most herbs. Unfolds on fabric or burlap, without direct sunlight, or in bunches under the ceiling of the attic.

Thyme (thyme) is valued not only for its medicinal properties, but also as an excellent spice, flavoring seasoning for many dishes and aromatic drinks in cooking. It is unassuming to care for, so it is often grown both outdoors and in a room on a windowsill. Many summer residents, highly appreciating the decorativeness of some varieties, use thyme to decorate the site. We will tell in the article how to grow thyme from seeds in the country or at home, how to squeeze, what care features are required for the plant.

Types and varieties of thyme (thyme)

The genus of thyme is very extensive, in nature there are more than 200 of its species. When breeding varieties, breeders mainly use the following types of thyme (thyme):

• ordinary;
• creeping;
• lemon-smelling;
• early.

Some species are successfully used as flowering and ornamental shrubs for arranging flower beds, decorating hills, borders.

The commercially available seeds of various varieties of thyme (thyme) are suitable both for open ground and for growing in a room on a windowsill. Plants will decorate a room or garden, and freshly picked leaves and shoots will add a wonderful aroma to food and drinks and will be used in recipes for traditional medicine. Read also the article: → "Spicy herbs in the country."

Top 5 varieties of thyme (thyme) for home growing

The most popular varieties are presented in the table:

N / a	Variety name	Characteristics
1.	Snake	The rapid appearance of the first greenery for cutting, the leaves are small, the flowers are bright, pink with purple, the shoots creeping up to 35 cm
2.	Aibolit	Early ripe, well leafy, small leaves, light pink flowers with a purple tint
3.	Citric	The height of the semi-shrub is up to 30 cm, the flowers are white, the leaves are fragrant with a lemon-spicy taste, slightly pungent
4.	Nectar	Creeping plant, pink flowers, stem height up to 25 cm, large yield of spicy foliage
5.	Rainbow	It grows up to 20 cm tall, the leaves have a very strong aroma, a high content of vitamins and microelements

Thyme breeding methods

Thyme can be propagated in many ways, each of which is applicable in one case or another.

Seedless method (by seeds)

• Seeds are sown in open ground in spring, buried in well-moistened soil, but no more than 0.5-0.7 cm, since they are very small. Top them lightly sprinkle with sand or peat. The plantings are covered with polyethylene until the first shoots appear, usually it will take about 2-2.5 weeks.
• Plants, especially erect varieties, are usually placed in beds in a pattern of 40-60 cm between rows and 10-20 cm between plants in a row.
• At first, the thyme grows very slowly, after the appearance of the first true leaves, it is thinned out. For decorative purposes, it is possible to grow with a solid carpet, without thinning.

  Savory (thyme, thyme) - grown from seeds

• The soil must be constantly loosened and carefully monitored so that a crust does not form.
• Good results are given by sowing before winter, on frozen ground. In areas with severe winters, adult plants in the fall are spud and covered with spruce branches.

Tip # 1. In order to prevent thyme from freezing out in areas with severe winters, planting is mulched, it is often grown as an annual. Individual specimens can be transplanted into pots in the fall and installed on the windowsill.

Seedling method of breeding thyme

• Seedling growing is considered more reliable. Since the seeds of thyme are quite taut and the sprouts that appear are very small, they can easily die in the open field.
• For growing seedlings, containers with a depth of 8-10 cm are used. The bottom is filled with drainage material (2-3 cm), because the plants need a good outflow of water. It can be fine gravel, expanded clay, crushed stone.
• A soil mixture is poured on top, lightly compacted and abundantly moistened with a spray bottle.
• Seeds are spread over the soil, trying to avoid excessive thickening, and lightly sprinkled with sand. The container is covered with foil or glass, creating a humid and warm microclimate, and regularly ventilated.
• When sprouts appear (after 2-2.5 weeks), the containers are transferred to a cooler and well-lit place. At first, the film is periodically moved aside for a while for airing and hardening the sprouts, removing it on warm days, and later completely removed.
• Young plants in the phase of 2 leaves dive or thin out, leaving a feeding area for one sprout of about 2x2 cm.
• Seedlings can be planted in the ground after 60-65 days. For this, cloudy days are chosen, preferably after rain, the plantings are shaded for the first time. Read also the article: → "Spicy herbs - we grow ourselves."

Tip # 2. Thyme seeds will germinate faster at elevated temperatures and humidity; when sprouts appear, they must be gradually reduced.

Propagation by cuttings and root layers

• In creeping species, the processes can take root on their own, overgrowing with roots. Root layers are cut off from the mother plant, dug up and planted.
• Some species are propagated by lignified cuttings, which are cut into 3-5 cm, pre-rooted in a greenhouse or immediately planted in a permanent place under a film for rooting.

Growing thyme by dividing the bush

• In the spring, large bushes are dug up and the roots are carefully disassembled. The plant is divided into separate parts with shoots of the root system.They are planted in moist soil with an embedment of 4-6 cm.

Thyme can be propagated by dividing the bush, embedded in moist soil to a depth of 4-6 cm

Growing at home

• On the windowsill, thyme can be grown all year round, using both seedless and seedling methods.
• In the presence of adult plants, vegetative propagation methods are applicable - by cuttings, layering and dividing the bush.
• For home cultivation, varieties with compact sizes and erect stems are suitable.
• To avoid excessive stretching of the shoots, additional lighting will be required in the autumn-winter time.

Features of care at home and in the country

In order for the bushes to always be lush, green, it is necessary to observe the conditions of cultivation and care.

Watering and loosening the soil

• Loose and light soils with a neutral reaction are preferred, thyme will not grow on clay soils.
• The main condition is good drainage, since the plant does not tolerate even the slightest waterlogging and stagnation of water. Good results are obtained by using fine gravel as mulch.

Using fine gravel as mulch keeps water from stagnant

• The moisture permeability of the soil can be ensured by using equal parts of soil mixture, sand and peat for germinating seeds and rooting cuttings.
• Plants will need loosening of the soil, removing weeds.

Requirements for watering bushes

• Watering should be moderate, but constant, the soil should not be allowed to dry out.
• In dry summer periods, with active regrowth of shoots in spring and during flowering, watering is slightly increased.
• Waterlogging causes great harm to plants. If it rains for a long time and the soil becomes saturated with moisture, the roots may begin to rot.

Watering should be moderate, both waterlogging and overdrying of the soil is not allowed

The need for lighting in summer and winter

• The plant prefers well-lit and sunny places.
• It can withstand light partial shade and shading, but at the same time it will bloom poorly and stretch out strongly, losing its decorative effect.
• When grown on a windowsill in winter, illumination of 40-55 W / m2 will be required. Read also the article: → "How to grow onions and other greens in an apartment."

Indoor temperature and humidity

• In open ground, excessive overheating, overdrying or waterlogging of the soil must not be allowed.
• Before the first shoots appear, a higher temperature and humidity (+ 20-22 ° C) will be required. When growing seedlings, the temperature is gradually reduced (up to + 15-18 ° C), hardening the plants.

Fertilization and dressing

• Before planting, organic matter (2-3 kg per 1 m2) and nitrophosphate (30 g) are introduced into open ground.
• Plants in the open field are fed with complex fertilizers two or three times per season, especially they need feeding after harvesting raw materials.
• When growing seedlings, plants are fed 1-2 times with universal fertilizers with microelements, following the instructions. You can use wood ash and spraying with Epin-extra.

Shoot picking time

• In the first year (when grown from seeds), individual, longest shoots are selectively cut off.
• For medicinal purposes and for the preparation of drinks, thyme is harvested in dry weather, during flowering, which begins in the second year. In this case, the stem is cut off, leaving 7-10 cm at the root. The second harvest can be repeated in the fall, as the shoots grow back.
• For eating, use young shoots with delicate leaves.

For culinary use, young shoots and leaves are plucked

Thyme care rules

The basic rules of care are presented in the table:

Care type	Peculiarities	Recommendations
Watering	Moderate but regular	Thyme does not tolerate waterlogging, stagnant water and strong drying out of the soil
Temperature	+ 15 ... + 20 ° С	A higher temperature is required before the emergence of shoots, then it is gradually reduced
Agricultural practices	Weeding, loosening	The soil needs regular loosening so that the formed crust does not interfere with the access of oxygen

Answers to questions about growing thyme

Question number 1.I grow thyme in the open field, but it blooms and develops poorly. What is the reason?

It is possible that the soil is not suitable for the plant, it is too acidic. Other reasons are the location of the plantings in the shade or stagnant water in the garden.

Question number 2.Thyme, planted on an alpine hill, grows and stretches very much, its decorative effect is lost. What can be done?

For an alpine slide, it is best to change the variety, choosing creeping species with miniature and compact bushes for planting.

Question number 3.Is it possible to sow thyme seeds in open ground not in spring, but in summer or autumn?

Sowing can be carried out at any time, but it must be borne in mind that young plants must have time to root sufficiently before the first frosty days. For the winter, they should be spud and covered.

Question number 4.When is the right time to cut thyme for medicinal purposes?

Most of the useful substances are contained in flowering thyme, therefore cutting is carried out during flowering.

Question number 5.What can be done to make potted plants on the windowsill more compact?

More compact bushes with a dense green mass are obtained with regular pruning, overgrown shoots are cut to a lignified base. For home cultivation, it is better to select low, upright varieties.

When grown on a windowsill, the thyme is placed in the sunniest place.

Review of the cultivation of thyme

Fragrant thyme is known for its medicinal and taste properties, so I have been growing it for several years in my summer cottage, and it invariably pleases us with its decorative effect. Recently, I decided to plant it at home so that when I cook, there are always spicy leaves at hand.

There is nothing super complicated in growing it, but you still have to take into account some basic points. In the open field, the seedling method is more suitable, so the thyme takes root better. The seeds are very small, germinate for a long time, so you need to keep an eye on them, observe the regime of high temperature and humidity.

But even when the first shoots appear, they are very tiny and grow slowly, the weeds can destroy them, this will also have to be constantly monitored. But in the spring, I visit from time to time, so it is more convenient for me to bring ready-made seedlings grown on the windowsill with me.

• To plant seeds for seedlings, I use low containers, on the bottom I spread a layer of fine expanded clay, well washed and scalded with boiling water. Thyme does not tolerate stagnant water, and containers should have good drainage.
• It is best to take the soil for the initial germination of seeds that is not rich in nutrients. It might just be a mixture of sand and peat, because if you use a regular nutrient mixture, the high humidity will encourage mold growth.
• Before planting, I water and compact the soil abundantly, then I spread the prepared seeds on its surface, trying to distribute them evenly, and cover the container with glass (you can use a film). I put it in the warmest place, constantly keep the soil moist, and after about 2 weeks the first shoots begin to appear.

Thyme shoots appear in about 2 weeks

• In a state of 2-3 true leaves, I dive seedlings, but I already make up the soil from equal parts of peat, sand and a universal soil mixture. The plant will be ready for planting in the country in 2 months.
• I prepare the land in the garden in advance, dig it up, mixing it with sand. I add a universal fertilizer, as well as well-rotted compost. Please note that the soil should be light and loose; heavy clay soils, on which the water will start to stagnate, will not work. At first I shade the plants, then I ensure timely watering, weeding and loosening of the crust.
• I leave a little seedlings for growing in the kitchen. On cloudy and winter days, the thyme will need additional lighting, otherwise it will stretch out a lot. I especially liked the varieties "Lemon" and "Medoc".

How to avoid mistakes when growing

Mistake # 1.Growing thyme on clay soils where water stagnates. The roots start to rot and the plant gets sick and disappears.

The soils should be light, with the addition of sand, moisture and air permeable. Plants need good drainage.

Mistake # 2.Due to the placement of the thyme in the shade, it is very stretched, sick and does not bloom well.

How to avoid? Plant light-loving thyme in well-lit, sunny areas.

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Hello!

Today I will share with you my joy, my favorite spice - thyme!

Rather, a story about the variety that grows with me))

- Vegetable thyme "Medok", nice to meet you!

Thyme

The idea to plant spices came to me in 2016, at first I decided on lavender, then I wanted a spicy flower bed with mint, rosemary, then I remembered that thyme tea is my favorite tea.

I bought the first thyme, aka thyme, which was caught.

I have it from Aelita.

Thyme
When I planted it on seedlings, I don’t remember now, I didn’t do anything special to increase germination, I just spread the seeds over the soil surface, moistened it with a spray bottle and covered it with a film. As soon as the first shoots appeared, she opened the thyme.

Here's a seedling I got.

Thyme
Also, my thyme grows in the "wiring" bed. I just planted it with seeds, and it grew. While the first shoots appeared, I watered carefully so that there were no crusts on the ground, then the watering was reduced to about once every 2 weeks. Now I don't water at all yet ...

Thyme does not like watering, it does not need excess moisture.

But the thyme, which grows in a spicy flower bed, there is less sun here, and my fragrant friend is only going to bloom. It should be noted that flowering begins only in the second year.

Thyme grows quickly, very quickly! If you lift the green mass, you can see how little shoots crawl out of the stems.

Here, it has bloomed, finally!

What can I say, the correspondence to the picture is complete. And it pleases!

What I love thyme for is the flavor! Sometimes I walk past the garden and sit down just to shake the bush - the aroma is divine!

From the first year I managed to dry a few bunches of fragrant thyme.

In the photo below, fresh and dried thyme.

What am I doing with him.

First, I add a twig to the sauces before the end of cooking.

For example, my husband's favorite dish: shrimp in a creamy garlic sauce, thyme gives the sauce a special flavor.

Well, the classic of the genre is tea!

I love different combinations, but my favorite is thyme with a couple of black tea leaves. Soothing and delicious!

Well that's all, my story about thyme has come to an end.

For me, thyme is one of my favorite spices, I like its aroma and unpretentious cultivation!

Enjoy your tea!

Thank you for your attention!

Thyme, popularly known as thyme, is a perennial decorative shrub with an original spicy taste and aroma. A huge amount of vitamins, acids, mineral, tannins and essential oil substances are concentrated in the leaves of plants, due to which thyme cultivation from the seeds of which is widely practiced by gardeners, is used in folk medicine, cooking, perfumery. Some varieties of thyme have excellent decorative qualities, which have earned the increased attention of aesthetes and landscape designers.

Landing

For planting thyme, you need loose, fertile and well-drained soil with neutral acidity, which is prepared in the fall. During the autumn digging, organic fertilizers are introduced into the soil: compost, humus.Seeds are planted in the ground at the end of May, when the ground has warmed up well, or through seedlings.

Many housewives want to have a decorative bush on the windowsill and are interested in: how to grow thyme at home? For planting, you will need any container (flower pot), on the bottom of which you need to lay drainage and pour soil mixture. Then the pre-soaked seeds are distributed on the surface, sprinkled on top with a layer of earth, and covered with glass until shoots appear. The optimum temperature for seed germination is considered to be 15-17 ° C, which must be artificially created at home. To grow thyme in a garden or vegetable garden, you should choose sunny open areas, since the concentration of nutrients and esters in the leaves of plants depends on this.

Video "Everything Gardeners Need to Know"

Informational video with useful properties of thyme, as well as data on its cultivation.

Growing and caring

Caring for thyme in the garden consists of regular watering, weeding and feeding. Shrubs growing in the garden only need watering and feeding. If the seeds are sown in open ground, then about 2 weeks after germination, the plants need to be thinned out, leaving the largest ones at a distance of 10-15 cm, and the soil should be loosened. In the future, weeding and loosening are carried out at intervals of 1 time / 2 weeks.

Water the thyme often, but make sure that the soil is not too wet - the culture tolerates drought better than excessive moisture. Top dressing is applied several times during the season: in the fall when digging a site - organic matter, in the spring before planting and before harvesting - mineral mixtures (superphosphate, saltpeter).

Harvesting begins during the flowering period (June-August). Flowering shoots are cut with a sharp knife at a level of 8-10 cm above the soil surface. For the winter, the bushes are cut, spud, and then covered with compost, humus and dry leaves.

Reproduction

Thyme can be propagated in several ways:

• planting seeds directly in the garden;

• through seedlings, which involves sowing seeds in early spring at home in containers or pots;

• dividing the bush;

• by cuttings.

Since thyme seeds germinate in the open field for a long time and poorly, it is best to grow the crop through seedlings. This method allows you to plant already matured young plants in the spring, and avoid unnecessary hassle with sowing in the garden.Experienced gardeners prefer to grow thyme by cutting, or dividing the rhizome. When the bush fades, with sharp scissors you need to cut twigs 10-15 cm long, remove the leaves, then deepen the cuttings with one end into wet sandy soil, and cover with foil. Every day, the soil must be moistened until leaves appear on the branches - this means that the roots have sprouted and the plants can be transplanted. There are other ways thyme can be propagated. Creeping varieties tend to strengthen with roots in the soil, and thus multiply independently.

Which varieties to choose

The genus Thyme has about four hundred species, of which about two hundred grow in our latitudes. In the wild, thyme is found in meadows, mountain slopes and rocks, and its cultivated varieties are planted in the garden bed, in the garden, and are also used to decorate the landscape in the country - flowering ground cover varieties look very impressive on alpine hills, cascade beds, and just along stone tracks. Thyme shrubs surprise with their diversity. Depending on the species and variety, the plants differ in the shape and size of the bush (from 15 to 40 cm, creeping thyme has a height of only 5-8 cm), the color of the leaves - from light green with stripes to dark, and even grayish. The multiple inflorescences of white, yellow, different shades of lilac, and also pink, located at the ends of the shoots, give a special decorative effect to the shrubs.

When choosing a thyme variety, you need to consider the purpose of the plants.If the culture will be planted in a garden or on a plot near a house for decorative purposes, then it is better to choose flowering creeping species. If for treatment or consumption, then you need to choose aromatic varieties with a high content of essential oils.

In our climate for growing in the country, as well as on the windowsill in the apartment, the following types of thyme are best suited:

1. Creeping. It is a low shrub with long creeping shoots. The plant is very unpretentious and frost-resistant, grows well in the wild on sandy soils. Creeping thyme has good decorative properties: it grows quickly, forming a dense carpet on the surface, and blooms very intensively with purple inflorescences throughout the summer. Due to these qualities, creeping thyme is often used by designers to decorate flower beds, lawns, slopes in a rocky garden.
2. Ordinary. This type of thyme is the most popular because it has the most pronounced taste and aroma. It is grown primarily for medicinal and culinary purposes. The shrub is quite compact (15-20 cm in height) with slightly spreading branches, which allows it to be planted not only in the country, but also in a pot on the windowsill.
3. Citric. Varietal thyme with a pronounced lemon aroma. It is used for cooking and has good medicinal properties. The bush is compact (20-30 cm), the flowers are small, pale lilac. Heat-loving, like all hybrids, does not tolerate frost well.
4. Nectar. Vegetable hybrid with slightly creeping, but heavily leafy branches. It has a slightly bitter taste and delicate aroma. Differs in high productivity and cold resistance.

Other varieties of thyme can also be used in landscape design. For example, the decorative variety "Mossy" is distinguished by small intertwining leaves with lilac inflorescences, due to which it forms a thick carpet 1-2 cm high on the soil surface.

Video "How to plant thyme"

Demonstration video with recommendations for planting thyme.

Thyme today is in great demand not only among gardeners. And this is due to the fact that ordinary people began to actively grow the culture, since the plant is valued for its healing properties and as an excellent spice, flavoring seasoning. Gardeners, on the other hand, grow thyme to decorate a flower bed or flower garden, because the culture has amazing decorative properties.

Content

• 1 Description and types
• 2 What the seeds look like
• 3 How and when to plant
  • 3.1 Seedless way
  • 3.2 Seedling method
• 4 How to care
  • 4.1 Watering
  • 4.2 Top dressing
  • 4.3 Pest and disease control

Description and types

Thyme is a perennial crop that grows in the form of a dwarf shrub. It has a creeping stem and twigs with flowers. Its foliage is small, oval and opposite. At the tips of the branches, small inflorescences flaunt, which are collected in small flowers. They can be pink or lilac. Thyme oil contains many organic compounds, mineral salt and vitamin C.

Among the whole variety of thyme varieties, the following types of plants are in great demand among gardeners:

1. Snake... The culture is characterized by the fact that it quickly has the first greens for cutting. The leaves are small, the inflorescences are bright. They can be pink or lilac. Shoots are creeping, and their height reaches 35 cm.

   

   Thyme Snake

2. Aibolit... This is an early maturing variety. It has an abundant green mass. The leaves are small, the flowers can be light pink or lilac. But what a fast-growing perennial hedge looks like in the photo can be seen here.

   

   Thyme Aybolit

3. Citric... This plant grows to a mark of 30 cm. It has old flowers, fragrant leaves, tasting which one can feel a lemon-spicy and slightly burning taste.

   

   Citric

4. Nectar... This variety allows you to grow a creeping plant, which flaunts pink flowers.The height of the bush reaches 25 cm. It has large and spicy foliage. How the planting and care of the Creeping Thuja takes place, you can find out by watching the video from the article.

   

   Nectar

5. Rainbow... The shrub can grow up to 20 cm. It has fragrant leaves, which contain many vitamins and minerals. It will also be interesting to know what types of creeping juniper exist.

   

   Rainbow

6. Creeping... This is a perennial crop, the height of which reaches 15 cm. It has creeping stems of a cylindrical shape, and the shoots are hairy in the lower part and protruding. The leaves are petiolate and lanceolate. Their length reaches 1 cm. Flowers can be pink-lilac.

   

   Creeping

What seeds look like

If you are buying thyme seeds, then you need to know what they look like. In fact, they are very small, dark in color and oblong in shape.

How and when to plant

Thyme propagation can occur in several ways. Each of them should be used in one way or another.

Seedless way

The seeds can be sent directly to the open field. Do it in the spring. It is not necessary to sow them very deeply. Planting depth is no more than 0.5-0.7 cm. Top with peat or sand. Then stretch the polyethylene, and when the first shoots are formed, it can be removed.

If you have chosen upright varieties, then place them on a plot according to the scheme 40-60 cm between rows and 10-20 cm between crops in a row. Thyme grows rather slowly at first. And as soon as the first leaves are formed, then thinning must be performed. You don't have to do this if the thyme is grown in a solid carpet.

The soil must be loosened and ensured that a crust does not form. It will be possible to get high germination if you plant before winter. In areas with a harsh climate, spud and cover adult crops with spruce branches. To prevent the culture from freezing in winter, it is necessary to mulch the soil or grow thyme as an annual plant.

Seedling method

This method of growing thyme is considered the most reliable. The fact is that his seeds are tight-growing, and the sprouts appear small, so that in the open ground they can quickly die.

For growing seedlings, it is necessary to use containers with a depth of 8-10 cm. Fill the bottom with drainage material, the thickness of which is 2-3 cm. This is extremely necessary, since the plant requires a good outflow of water. To do this, you can use gravel, crushed stone or expanded clay.

On top, you can lay a layer of substrate, tamp it a little and water thoroughly with a spray bottle. Lay the planting material on the ground. It will also be interesting to know what Verbena seedlings look like.

At the same time, make sure that an area of ​​2x2 cm is allocated for one plant. You need to plant seedlings in the ground in 2-2.5 months. To do this, you need to choose a cloudy day, preferably after rain.

How to care

Thyme is easy to care for. Loosening of the soil remains very important for him. This will prevent stagnation of water in the roots and the formation of a crust on the surface of the earth. You also need to weed the bed to prevent weeds from forming. To make work easier, you can cover the area with compost.

You may also be interested in learning about how the planting takes place and how the care of the Iberis flower is organized.

Also, care will definitely include pruning. It should be done in early spring or when flowering ends. Shoots should be cut by 2/3. Such measures for thyme are extremely necessary, as this will allow you to get more compact and dense bushes.

The video shows how to care for a plant:

Watering

Thyme belongs to drought-resistant plants. Drought acts better on it than waterlogging. So it is worth watering the crop only when it is really needed. As soon as flowering began and young shoots have grown, then watering should be increased.But if the summer is moderately rainy, then irrigation of thyme may not be performed at all. But what kind of hoses for drip irrigation are, and how you can choose them, is detailed in this article.

Top dressing

As a rule, thyme does not need feeding, especially if the soil has been fertilized before planting. And if the soil is scarce, then you can add rotted compost to it in the form of mulch, or use horn flour for these purposes.

Pest and disease control

Thyme is quite resistant to diseases and pests. This is achieved due to the fact that it contains essential oil. But if agrotechnical measures are violated, then the plant can suffer from aphids, sandy sludge and other pests and diseases.

The meadow moth affects the underside of the leaves, forming a cobweb there. They can also feed on shoots and flowers. To prevent this, it is necessary to remove weeds in a timely manner, and dig up the soil in the fall. To destroy the pest, it is necessary to treat the thyme with Decis.

On the video - plant pest control:

Sandy sludge inflicts defeat on the terrestrial parts of the culture. To combat this pest, it is necessary to use baits poisoned with pesticides. Aphids injure the leaves and young shoots of the plant, as they feed on their sap. Means such as Antitlin and Biotlin can cope with it. Another pest is the weevil. It damages the flowers of thyme, as it lays the larvae in the buds. To combat the pest, it is worth treating the bush with Fitoverm.

If you take care of the thyme incorrectly, water it excessively, then it can get sick with fungal ailments. For treatment, it is worth using a solution of a fungicide - Ridomil, Fundazol, Topaz. High-quality prophylaxis will be a full care of the plant.

Thyme is a unique herb that today has several uses. It is used in medicine, cooking and gardening. Gardeners liked this culture because it is easy to care for it, but it is quite possible to decorate a flower bed in a beautiful and original way.

Radish is one of the vegetables that is the first to please us with its appearance on the table in the springtime. It is a pleasure to grow this culture, because it does not need complicated care and can be planted in open ground at an early date. To be content with an early ripe juicy root crop and provide the body with useful substances after the winter period, you need to know all the intricacies of planting and growing radishes.

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Early planting of radish in open ground is due to its resistance to cold and exposure to subzero temperatures at night. You can sow seed in late March or early April. To speed up the emergence, the sowing should be covered with foil. The first harvest is possible after 3-4 weeks from the moment the seedlings appear.

The planting period of this root crop in summer depends on the variety, the period of its collection and ripening. It is necessary to plant early ripe radishes in early June, mid-ripening ones in June. To do this, you need to resort to the seedling method. As for the late varieties, it is recommended to sow them in open soil in late summer and early autumn. Experienced summer residents sow radishes before winter, before the first frosts appear. Sowing in the winter allows you to harvest earlier than sowing in early spring.

Preparation for sowing radishes

Planting radishes is not at all difficult. At the initial stage, the summer resident may be faced with the fact that the root crops will turn out to be loose and bitter. To eliminate this, you need to choose the right variety and adhere to the cultivation techniques. You can be content with a generous harvest, provided that all the intricacies of planting radishes and preparing the soil are observed.

Radish seeds for planting

Selection and preparation of seeds that are going to plant

Experienced summer residents are advised to purchase planting material in specialized stores. First you need to sort through them and sort them by size.The germination and development of large root crops will be guaranteed by seeds, the length of which is at least 3 cm. Before planting in the ground, they must be poured with water or wrapped in a damp cloth for a day. Before sowing seed, it must be poured with boiling water for 20 minutes, then cooled, treated with a growth stimulating agent and dried.

Preparing the soil in spring, we will ensure good early shoots

Soil preparation for planting

In order for the radish to fully develop and grow, you need to prepare the soil for it. The culture feels good in loose, nutritious, well-drained soil, the optimum acidity of which is 5.5-7.0.

The place for this culture also plays a significant role. Preference should be given to a well-lit area that is protected from strong winds. As for the predecessors of radish, it is best to plant it in a place where potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and legumes grew.

Agronomists do not recommend growing radishes on the same bed for more than 3 years, since this root crop leads to weakening of the soil. It is best to select a new bed for a vegetable crop every year.

Preparatory work related to the soil must be carried out in the fall. It is necessary to remove plant residues from the site, dig it up, add compost or humus to the soil. After the winter leaves, when the earth warms up, it must be re-dug up and fed with mineral compounds.

Correct planting technology, planting at the correct depth

When sowing radishes, shallow embedding is preferable

Growing radishes in the open field implies a properly carried out planting, which is carried out in stages:

1. The prepared bed is leveled, marks are made for sowing grooves. The distance between the grooves should be 10 cm. The depth of the fossa is 1 cm. If the seeds are placed at a greater depth, this will cause deformation of the root crops.
2. Before sowing seeds, the holes should be watered with boiling water. It is necessary to sow the planting material, adhering to a distance of 5 cm.It is not necessary to sow closely, since in the future you will have to make certain efforts in order to plant them later.
3. The seed furrows are covered with soil and compacted. This will help maximize soil adhesion to the seed and speed up seedling.
4. When planting work is over, the beds need to be watered and fed with wood ash. If weather conditions accompany the growth of this culture, the first seedlings can be observed after 3-4 days.

Planting a vegetable in egg cells

You can plant radishes in cardboard egg trays. This method is approved by many experienced summer residents, as it allows you to get root crops that have an ideal shape. Moreover, it eliminates the need for decimation. To plant radishes using this method, you must:

1. Dig up and loosen the beds first. Level the soil.
2. Cut off the bottom of the cells using a knife. Place the device on the ground with holes downwards, slightly pressing it down. Fill the cells with soil and place one seed in each of them.
3. Sprinkle the crops with earth and water abundantly.

If radish is planted in egg trays, it will sprout as actively as with the traditional method.

Planting radishes in egg trays

Freshly planted plant care, watering regime

Crop care involves the following manipulations:

1. Maintaining humidity at a certain level. Watering is an essential condition for the full growth of radishes. After planting the seeds, you need to irrigate the beds every day, excluding the drying out of the top layer of the soil. Otherwise, the roots will acquire a bitter taste and grow small. The best time to water is morning and evening.
2. Thinning of frequent seedlings. These actions must be carried out 5 days after the emergence of shoots. It is necessary to leave stronger sprouts.To ensure excellent ripening and high-quality fruiting of the vegetable, the seedlings should be placed at a distance of 5 cm.
3. Loosening the soil. Excess moisture and its stagnation entail the formation of cracks in the roots and the appearance of black rot, keels. Diseases can be prevented. To do this, after watering, you should take time to loosen the soil. All actions must be carried out carefully so as not to damage the root and root crop in the process of growth.
4. Top dressing with fertilizers. Radish reacts well to organic and mineral fertilizers. Each time after applying the compositions, it is necessary to cover the soil with a mixture of rotted manure and peat. Mulching will protect the plant from weeds, accelerate the penetration of fertilizers into the soil, and maintain an optimal moisture level.
5. Protection against diseases and pests. It is important to regularly inspect plants for the presence of foci of disease and pests. If they are found, it is necessary to carry out treatment in a timely manner using appropriate means.

Soil cultivation and fertilizing products

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Secrets of growing in the open field, thinning and feeding

If you familiarize yourself with the intricacies of growing radishes in the open field, you can get a generous harvest of excellent quality.

• Often, summer residents are faced with a problem when the culture goes to the arrow and then begins to bloom. It is quite easy to exclude this phenomenon. It is necessary to adhere to a certain distance between crops, water the plant regularly.
• The introduction of fresh manure into the soil is taboo. If you do not adhere to this recommendation, the root crop will turn out to be hollow inside. It is necessary to carry out top dressing with the help of rotted organic fertilizers.
• At the time of planting, it is worth laying out one seed at a time in the grooves, since thinning leads to damage to the root system, poor growth and the appearance of arrows.
• It is highly discouraged to resort to the use of chemicals, since the radish will absorb these substances and will be dangerous for consumption. To spray a vegetable, folk remedies should be used. It can be an infusion of garlic, celandine, wormwood, tobacco crumbs.

The first feeding of radish seedlings

Pests and the fight against them

Diseases can cause low yields and the death of root crops. Pests are also dangerous for this vegetable crop. It is necessary to recognize the first symptoms of the disease in a timely manner and take measures that will heal the plant.

Common diseases of radish and methods of dealing with them:

• Keela. Its presence is evidenced by swelling and growths on the surface of the root crop. The leaves begin to turn yellow and wither. A plant that has been damaged by this disease must be burned, and the soil in the place where it was grown should be sprinkled with slaked lime. You should not grow a crop on this site for 4 years.
• Powdery mildew. Symptoms of the disease are white bloom on the leaves and petioles, which after a while turns light brown. It is necessary to organize a crop rotation and treat the plant with drugs that fight this disease.
• Bacteriosis Slime forms on the roots, a characteristic rotten smell appears. The leaves of the plant take on a yellow tint. To cope with bacteriosis, treatment with Bordeaux liquid should be carried out.

Common pests:

• Cruciferous flea. Distinctive features of these insects are modest size, dark color and metallic luster. As a result of its activity, leaves are damaged, which inhibits the process of photosynthesis. As a result, the culture stops growing and dies.
• Belyanka. White butterfly larvae eat leaves from the edge or gnaw holes in them, which causes significant damage to the culture.

To cope with pests, it is necessary to process the vegetable crop with certain preparations.Insecticides are most effective in this regard, but before resorting to such potent agents, it is worth trying folk methods.

Flea-infested radish

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Harvesting what we managed to grow

You need to collect root crops selectively, as they ripen. When the radish has reached a medium size, it should be slightly pulled upwards, holding it by the tops. Leftover radishes can be left in the ground and wait until they become larger.

Harvesting radishes is a simple process. The main thing is to carry it out in a timely manner. If for some reason it was not possible to collect it in the required time frame, you can acquire planting material for the next year.

Growing radish in open soil can be practiced throughout the summer cottage season.

Even an inexperienced summer resident can cope with planting radishes and caring for it, but at the same time he must take into account all the rules for arranging the garden, preparing seeds and providing comfortable conditions for the growth of this vegetable crop.

Planting thyme seeds, growing in the open field and at home

If you want a low-growing plant that blooms all summer long, then thyme will do the job just fine. Landscape designers, when designing green spaces on a personal plot, very often turn to it. Lawns are made from thyme, planted between stones, in cracks on paths, and used for vertical gardening. It is difficult to trample and spoil it. Thyme is planted both in open ground and through seedlings.

Flowering begins in June and lasts until August, and fruit ripens in August-September. It goes well both for decorative purposes and for taste with basil, rosemary, parsley, dill, celery, mint and other herbs that can be used to make an excellent spicy garden. It will look like a contrast next to the Heuchers. Bees, flocking to the scent of thyme, will be able to help the surrounding plants in pollination.

Planting thyme outdoors

Choose a well-lit, open area for sowing thyme. In the shade, thyme develops poorly and stretches upward. Grows well on loose, light, fertile and well-drained soil, loam. It develops poorly on soil with high acidity. Often, gardeners think over spring plantings in the fall, since the soil often needs to be prepared for spring sowing. Thyme is no exception.

In the fall, the selected area is dug up and organic fertilizers (humus or compost) are applied. If there is not enough looseness in the soil, then sand or peat is added during digging. If necessary, liming the soil with dolomite flour or fluff lime.

In the spring, when the column of the thermometer shows a stable temperature of at least 13 ° C (May), dig up the area, loosen the bed and spill it with a solution of urea (200 g per 10 liters of water). Mix seeds with sand and plant. Thyme seedlings are thinned out, leaving a distance of 30 cm between plants.

Sowing thyme seeds for seedlings

In mid-March, the seeds are mixed with river sand (1: 3) and sown superficially on the soil intended for growing cacti. Sand mixed with peat in equal proportions can be used as a substrate. Then the seeds are simply scattered over the surface. After sowing, they are sprayed from a spray bottle with a fine spray. Cover with transparent glass or polyethylene and put on germination in a bright, warm place, without drafts. Open regularly for ventilation and spray with water. When shoots appear, the shelter is removed. After 65-70 days, the thyme seedlings will be ready for open field planting. The distance between seedlings is 20-25 cm, in the row spacing - 40-50 cm. With this method, the cultivation of thyme blooms earlier than when planting seeds in open ground.

Thyme care consists in infrequent watering, weeding and feeding.After planting, mulch the soil, this will retain moisture in the soil and facilitate your further work. After each watering or rain, the soil is loosened so that a hard crust does not form. Weeding in thyme care is a must so that the weeds cannot clog the plantings and pull all the nutrients out of the soil. Starting from the second year, a complex mineral fertilizer is applied. You cannot use fresh manure in top dressing. The tops of mature plants are pinched every year after flowering, and the side shoots are cut off by 2/3. This allows the plants to be prepared for the next season (to form a dense cover). For the winter, thyme is covered with fallen leaves, straw, pine sawdust or peat.

Thyme propagation

The easiest way to propagate thyme is by cuttings or seeds. When dividing the rhizome, the plant “gets sick” for a long time, but this is the only way to fully preserve all varietal characteristics. To do this, after digging a thyme bush with a sharp knife, divide the rhizome into 2 parts so that one strong shoot remains on each division. Be sure to sprinkle the cuts with crushed coal, this will make the injury easier for the plant. After planting, pour with a solution of a root formation stimulant.

Cuttings. In June, before flowering, cut off the upper shoots up to 10 cm long. Treat in Kornevin (growth stimulant) and plant in a greenhouse, in soil mixed with river sand. Spray 3-4 times every day for a month. Then you can transplant to a permanent place.

Of the numerous varieties of thyme, such varieties as "Raduzhny", "Silver Queen", "Aurea", "Minor", "Kolkhida" (undersized variety, height no more than 10 cm), have proven themselves well in the conditions of the Moscow region and the entire middle zone, " Elfin "(dwarf variety, height no more than 5 cm).

Thyme can be grown not only in the open field, in a garden bed or flower bed, but also at home, on a windowsill. It tastes just as good.

Growing thyme at home

In the absence of a personal plot or simply in order not to give up such a spice in winter, thyme can be grown at home. To do this, prepare a pot with a diameter of 10-15 cm. On the bottom, lay a drainage layer of expanded clay, in a layer of 2-3 cm. Pour the soil (loose, light, fertile), water lightly, spread the seeds and fill it with soil on top, no more than 5 mm. Then moisten again, preferably from a spray bottle, since the seeds are small and can be deepened with a strong pressure of the jet.

Cover the crops with transparent glass or polyethylene, place the pot on the light side of the windowsill (southern part). When the first shoots appear, remove the shelter. Water as needed as soon as the soil begins to dry out.

When the seedlings grow up and harden, thinning is carried out, leaving only the strongest in the pot. The weak are either thrown away, or they are trying to plant and grow. Cut regularly to keep thyme greens juicy and flavorful.