| Botanical Name: |
| Anethum |
| Common names: |
| Dill |
| Description: |
| Dill is an easy-to-grow, aromatic herb and a good choice for those just starting to explore the rewards of growing their own herbs. Dill grows up to 3 feet tall and is an attractive addition to the garden's back border with its clusters of star-shaped yellow-green flowers and its airy, feather-like blue-green foliage. |
| Life Cycle: |
| hardy annual |
| Exposure: |
| full sun; sheltered |
| Cultivation: |
| Dill likes light, well-drained soil, but needs protection from winds that can easily flatten its weak stem. It grows best in climates with moderate to cool summers. Seedlings don't transplant well, so choose the location you want the plants to grow and sow seeds directly in to the ground in the early spring. Sow seeds thickly so they can support one another as they grow. Because seeds are usually allowed to ripen on the head before being collected, plants reseed freely throughout the season and can quickly spread seedlings through the garden. For this reason, it's a good idea to give dill its own corner in the garden. Plant in succession to harvest all season and do not plant near fennel. |
| Propagation: |
| seeds |
| Parts Used: |
| leaves, seeds |
| Harvesting and Storage: |
| Pick Dill fresh as you need it throughout the season. Frequent cutting will prevent plants from going to seed. Extra Dill can be hung upside down to dry or dried between layers of paper towels for 3 minutes on a high setting. Once seed heads forms, allow them to develop and dry completely before removing them easily by hand. |
| Medicinal Uses: |
| digestive aid, sedative |
| Culinary Uses: |
| leaves: fish, sauces, garnish; seeds: pickles, vinegars, oils, marinades and roasting |
| Other Uses: |
| wreaths |
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have a dilemma. I love dill and I HATE buying them from stores. I've tried many many times in the past 3 years to grow them myself, each time meeting utter failure.
Dill, in my garden, is grown in full sun. Sprinkle the seed on the top of the ground, lightly rake over the area, water and voila...dill. I also let mine self-seed just like Donna Marie does.
If grown in a pot they will also need a "deep" pot as they are taproot plants (around 8 -10 inches).
What most folk don't tell you is that dill thrives in sweet soil, not acid. You know, all that Ph stuff. Well I don't know from PH levels, but I DO know that I tried to grow dill for years and then a neighbor suggested digging in some garden lime (about 2 cups in a small area) to sweeten the soil. Voila! I had a good crop of dill and I saved the seeds so I expect to have an equally good crop this year after I dig in some more garden lime (Dolomite). Good luck!
What kind of bugs are on dill? I found some really small almost florescent green beetle type bugs on my dill. How do I get rid of them?
By R.M.P.
Dill is good to let go to flower and seed for beneficial insects. Killing every insect you see just gets your garden out of balance. The green beetles are after the nectar. It will be okay.
Can dill be kept small and bushy by harvesting often? I scattered the seeds in a 18"x36" area and right now, at about 2" tall, it looks like a green carpet. I have a lot of seeds left from last year, so I would rather have leaves this year.
