Dill
Feathery, fragrant, and fast-growing, dill perfumes the kitchen garden with anise-laced fronds that pull double duty as herb and spice.
Dill needs its photo.
Identify a Dill in Rooted and share it, and yours could become the field guide image.
One Plant, Two Harvests
Dill delivers two distinct crops from a single planting: the soft, blue-green fronds called dillweed, snipped fresh for salads, fish, and dips, and the flat-topped seed heads that ripen into the pungent seeds essential to pickles and rye bread. The whole plant is edible and aromatic from day one.
Native to southwestern Asia and the Mediterranean, dill has been cultivated for at least 5,000 years. It naturalizes easily in temperate gardens, dropping seed at the end of the season and reliably returning the following spring without any effort on your part.
Planting & care
Direct-sow seed outdoors after the last frost date, pressing it shallowly into well-drained, moderately fertile soil - dill dislikes root disturbance and transplants poorly. Thin seedlings to 12-18 inches apart. Succession-sow every 3-4 weeks through early summer for a continuous supply of tender foliage.
Keep soil consistently moist but never waterlogged; dill bolts quickly in prolonged heat or drought. Tall varieties may need staking in exposed spots. Avoid planting near fennel - the two cross-pollinate and the resulting seedlings are flavorless. Harvest foliage before flower buds open for the best flavor.
Let It Bolt for Biodiversity
Resist the urge to pull dill the moment it flowers. The umbrella-shaped blooms are a magnet for predatory wasps, hoverflies, and swallowtail butterfly larvae, making bolting dill one of the hardest-working beneficial-insect plants in the vegetable garden.
How much sun does Dill need?
Dill grows best in full sun.
How often should you water Dill?
Give it about 1-2 in per week.
When is Dill ready to harvest?
Dill is usually ready in 40-60 days to first foliage harvest; seed heads ready 90-120 days.