How to Grow Dill

Days to germination: 7 days
Days to harvest: 60 days until seeds are ready, leaves in 30 days
Light requirements: Full sun
Water requirements: During dry spells
Soil: Loose soil, even less-fertile soils
Container: Dwarf types work best for containers

Introduction

Dill is a zesty seasoning that is a popular addition to many foods but is most commonly used in pickling to make dill pickles. Both the seeds and the leaves can be used, and the leaves are sometimes referred to as dill weed. Even the umbrella-like yellow flower clusters can be use for their dilly flavor.

It’s technically an annual, but because it seeds itself so easily, you will find that dill will just come back each spring as new plants are sprouted. Dill extremely easy to grow which makes it a favorite among herb gardeners.

Starting from Seed

Don’t plant your dill near closely related plants like fennel or coriander. They will easily cross-pollinate with each other, which will leave you with hybrid dill seeds that don’t have the right flavor. It will ruin your fennel or coriander too.

Regular varieties of dill will grow to a height of 2 to 3 feet, and may shade other plants. But it’s a very fine-leafed plant so it doesn’t cast a lot of shade. And because it is a delicate plant, don’t start your dill where it will be subject to high winds. They’ll need a full day of sun as well.

You can just sow your seeds right out into the garden, around the time of your last frost date. Cover with a 1/4 inch of soil. Spacing isn’t a big issue with dill because it is a very feathery plant and can be grown quite close together.

Even though it can get tall, you should try to plant dill near the rest of your main vegetable or herb garden. The plants attract lacewings, and lacewing larvae will help control your aphid pests.

Growing Instructions

Dill is one of the most maintenance-free plants you are going to find. It had very long roots, so once it’s established, you won’t need to worry about regular watering chores. Do give your plants a drink if you have a stretch of dry weather though.

It’s a light feeder and won’t require any additional fertilizing. In fact, soil that is too rich in nutrients will lead to less-flavorful dill.

To keep your plant from getting too tall or leggy, continually pinch out the top buds. This will make for a bushier plant, giving you more leaves to harvest.

If you are growing your dill in a grouping, the tall plants usually provide each other with enough support to stay upright. Plants growing farther apart, or just growing individually may need a bit of support to keep them from bending over. They shouldn’t need a cage or anything like that, but a tall stake or trellis can help your flimsy dill stand tall.

Dill does not compete well, particularly within the first month or so. Keep the area well weeded. Even with established plants, you want to keep the weeds to a minimum. Your dill can survive but the aromatic oil production in the leaves will be reduced if the plant has to complete with weeds for water.

Containers

Dill does have a fairly long taproot, but you can grow it in a container if it’s deep enough. The best option is to grow a dwarf variety such as Fernleaf. Keep the containers around 12-inches wide as well as deep, and definitely keep the center stem pinched to keep the plant bushy.

You don’t have to water garden dill very much, but potted dill will need more attention than that. Water it at least once a week and give it a light feeding of fertilizer at the beginning of the growing season.

Growing single plants in pots will mean you will likely need a bit of support for your dill though the dwarf type usually grows to less than 2 feet tall.

Pests and Diseases

Caterpillars of the swallowtail butterfly are partial to dill, and they can eat many of the leaves off your plants. Pick them off when you find them, and spray your plants with an insecticide spray to keep them away. These caterpillars are also sometimes called parsley worms. Having these lovely butterflies around the garden can be nice so don’t be too rigid about killing off the caterpillars. Some people actually plant extra dill to accommodate them.

Not very many diseases are a problem for dill. Alternaria blight is a fungus that can attack your plants right around the time when the seeds are starting to form. The leaves will start to yellow and may drop off. A fungicide may help, but you should pull affected plants as soon as you discover the problem to keep it from spreading to the whole patch of dill.

Harvest and Storage

You can start to snip off dill leaves after the first few weeks of growth, but your harvest of seed will have to wait until the plants have flowered. Collect the seeds once the blooms have completely dried and gone to seed. Don’t wait too long because they disperse quickly. You can easily find that all the seeds on a plant are gone overnight. Not only will you lose your harvest, you will then find a lot more dill around the yard next season.

Once your dill plants bloom and go to seed, they won’t produce any more leaves. For an extended period of dill weed harvesting, you can snip off the new flowers of some of your plants to keep them sprouting new leaves.

Since it won’t grow more leaves after blooming, your harvest opportunities will be reduced until winter. But your dill plants are somewhat frost tolerant and can usually survived the first few light frosts.

Fresh dill weed can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks and still maintain its flavor. Both the seeds and the leaves can be dried and stored for many months in an air-tight container. Leaves can be frozen as well, but they will lose a lot of their flavor if stored this way.

17 Responses to “How to Grow Dill”

Donna Says:
April 13th, 2012 at 6:44 pm
Very helpful information. Just bought a dill plant and look forward to it’s growth, etc. Thanks, Donna
Ruben Says:
May 13th, 2012 at 5:57 pm
I think I may have bought a bad pouch of dill seeds because I can’t get them to sprout! Ughh! And I love dill! After numerous failed attempts to grow them in neat little rows I got frustrated and just dumped out the whole packet of seeds in a pot. Hopefully some of them will grow.
Shelby Says:
May 30th, 2012 at 11:43 pm
I have dill growing my herb boxs and was wondering if you cut the leaves off will they keep growing and make new leaves or will they die?
also how do you know if they are ready to be cut?
Michelle Says:
June 19th, 2012 at 6:39 pm
How far down the stock from the ground do you cut to hang, dry and harvest the seeds?
Linda Says:
May 15th, 2013 at 7:24 am
I bought 3 packs of dill seeds and I planted them in containers and put some in the ground. Most of them sprouted but died quickly. I have a few sprouts in the ground getting afternoon sun. They are partially shaded. I live in Florida in zone 9. It seems that I have bad luck growing herbs
john yang Says:
June 16th, 2013 at 9:31 am
thank you. very helpful.
Jay Says:
June 18th, 2013 at 8:54 am
Linda, sounds like the soil was either too wet, or too dry
Sue Wolf Says:
June 24th, 2013 at 6:16 pm
Very helpful! Especially the part about trimming.
thomas Says:
August 8th, 2013 at 4:30 pm
very helpful my family and the farmers market thank you.
StacyLynnie Says:
August 27th, 2013 at 11:53 am
Nooooo Dont pick off the caterpillar (swallow tail ) Buy 2 or three extra plants a bit away from the ones you want to use for eating. When you see them, pluck them up and take them to the plants you have just for them. We need swallow tail butterflies.. They are beautiful…
DavidE Says:
January 4th, 2014 at 4:25 pm
Poor sandy soil seems to produce the most pungent dill. My seeds however took a lot longer to germinate, perhaps 2-3 weeks. I am waiting for the little yellow flowers to go to seed. It’s been 90-days since germination.
Joe Flip Says:
February 16th, 2014 at 2:52 pm
I am planting dill to get caterpillars black swallow tail. I need the dill to act as my nurser. I live in a area notorious for its shale. I am disappointed that I have to accomodate a 12 inch taproot in this shale soil….(as the soil is naturally I am lucky to get 4 inch of soil before I run into mostly shale. I guess,since this is a hobby that I got to get out the post hole digger….I was hoping that I could get away with a flower box. I may try fennel or carrots.
Nove Says:
March 23rd, 2015 at 2:00 am
How many days r needed for the seeds sprout ?? i put some seeds in the soil , its 4th day now, but no one of them is show up 🙁
nona Says:
July 18th, 2015 at 12:57 pm
I have dill coming up and they are so tall and big one bent over and broke but the seeds are still yellow can they be dried or used as is. The weed part is okay but afraid the yellow seeds will not make it.
Dotty Says:
September 10th, 2015 at 4:44 am
Hi
Can you tell me if dill has a bud like pod after it has flowered with spikes around it? I thought I was growing dill but after the feathery leaves came these large pods with little green seeds inside so I’m not sure what they are
sarah Says:
January 13th, 2016 at 12:29 pm
FYI – dill, fennel, & coriander are not only different species, but they also belong to different genera. This means that cross- pollination is NOT possible. So it is safe to plant your dill, fennel, & coriander as close to each other as your heart & garden desire.
Sarit Says:
July 7th, 2016 at 12:06 pm
I bought dill plant – but not from seed – already a plant. Now there’s flowers. Do I need to just cut the flowers and allow it to keep growing? Am I overwatering? I am in a very hot climate – it’s also growing in a pot on it’s own.