mother of thyme pathway

Question

Will mother of thyme invade my food garden if used as a pathway? I live near Raleigh, NC and have just planted a full-sun food garden. Instead of black cloth and pine bark mulch, I am considering mother of thyme for the pathways. However, I don’t want it to invade my food growing hugelkultur mounds, which will be untillable for several years. The pathways will receive light foot and wheelbarrow traffic. I’m hoping it will help to repel deer, etc. Do you think this is a good plan? If so, how do I do it with the least cost? I need to cover 500-600 SF! Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Jaime

Answer 1

I think it's a solid choice as Mother of thyme is commonly recommended for use as a garden ground cover or next to walkways. It spreads fairly quickly without being invasive. All you would really need to do is monitor 'the borders' and remove any thyme plants that may venture too far. Your cheapest way to do this would be by seed. And, after it starts to grow you can take stem cuttings to create even more plants.

For more information on 'Mother of Thyme' please visit the following link:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/thyme/growing-creeping-thyme.htm