Herb / Cool season
Dill
Feathery herb that feeds swallowtails and fills pickle jars
Plant out byMay 18zone 6
- Family
- Carrot (Apiaceae)
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ h)
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Days to harvest
- 40-60 days
- Spacing
- 10 in apart, rows 12 in
- Pot size
- 5 gal pot (fine in pots)
- Frost
- Half-hardy
- Start
- Direct sow
- Water
When to plant
Showing .
Averages for a typical garden in the region. Your local frost dates may differ by 2-3 weeks, check a local source.Too late this year (try fall)
In zone 6, sow or plant outdoors Apr 6 to May 18. Average last frost Apr 20, first fall frost Oct 20.
Units
Dill grows a long taproot, and that one fact shapes how you plant it. It hates being moved. Seedlings bought in little pots often stall or flower soon after you set them out. Sow the seed where it will grow, barely covered, since it needs light to sprout, and look for seedlings in 10 to 14 days.
Pick the spot with care. It wants full sun, 6 hours or more, and room to grow tall, because standard dill gets top heavy and flops in wind. Keep it away from carrots, where it is said to cut yields, and away from fennel, since the two can cross. Next to cabbage, broccoli or cucumbers it fits right in, and the flat yellow flowers bring in small wasps and other helpful insects.
Leaves are ready in about 40 to 60 days. Start snipping from the top once the plant has four or five leaves. When the weather warms, dill wants to flower, and leaf growth thins out once it does. Sow a pinch more seed every three weeks so you always have young plants coming. For pots, choose a dwarf type like 'Fernleaf' and a deep container. One August I found six fat green and black striped caterpillars stripping a plant. They were black swallowtail larvae, so we left them alone, sowed more dill, and the kids checked on them every morning.
Things to consider
- Dill drops seed freely. Cut the heads before they shatter unless you want it popping up all over the bed next spring. Some growers like the free plants and let a few heads go on purpose.
- Aphids cluster on the stems and flower heads, often in large numbers. A firm spray of water knocks most of them off, and checking the plants twice a week keeps the colonies small before they reach the seed heads.
- Tall plants topple in wind and heavy rain, usually right as the seed heads form. A short stake, or a spot along a fence, saves the harvest and keeps the plant from shading its neighbors.
Good neighbours
Keep apart
Pests to watch for
AphidsBlack swallowtail caterpillarsLeaf spot
Questions about growing dill
When do I harvest dill seed?
Wait until the flower heads turn brown and the seeds are dry and flat. Clip the whole head into a paper bag and let it finish drying for about a week. Shake the bag hard and most of the seeds fall out. Store them in a jar in a dark cupboard for pickles and bread.
Can I freeze fresh dill?
Yes. Snip the fronds, spread them on a tray to freeze, then pack them into a bag. Frozen dill holds its flavor better than dried dill, which fades fast in the jar. You can also chop it into an ice cube tray with a little water and drop cubes into soups or potato salad dressing.
Can dill and cucumbers share a bed?
Yes, and plenty of gardeners pair them since pickles need both. Dill flowers draw in small beneficial insects that help keep pests in check. Give the dill a spot where its height will not shade young cucumber vines. Time a sowing so dill heads are ready when the cucumbers start. In most gardens that means a second sowing about a month after the first.
Save this crop
Pin it to a garden board so it is there when planting time comes round.
Similar crops
Sources
General guidance for home gardens. Frost dates are averages for a zone or region; check a local source (in the US your county extension office) for local timing.