Growing Dill

Plant Profile

Dill is a self-seeding annual plant from the Apiaceae family (parsley is also a part of this family). It’s native to the Mediterranean region and Russia. This herb is fairly cold-hardy (hardy to 25°F), easy to grow, and readily self-seeds. Plant dill in well-draining soil with full sun. It will come back year after year if allowed to go to seed undisturbed in the garden.

Growing dill is quite simple and you can do it pretty much anywhere that receives full sun with rich, well-draining soil. If you’re using these herbs for multiple purposes, try planting in patches in different areas. Dill grows great as companions for asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, lettuce, parsley, basil, cilantro, & tomatoes.

Importance and Uses

Dill leaves and seeds are both used in cooking. It’s most commonly used in soups and stews, but it’s also used in pickling. If you intend on using dill to pickle vegetables, plant new seeds every few weeks from spring until mid-summer to give yourself a continuous supply throughout the season. Check out this avgolemono recipe for instant pots to put some of your fresh dill to good use!

In addition to being used for cooking, dill also attracts beneficial insects to your garden. This herb attracts praying mantises, butterflies, lady bugs, honeybees, and a few spiders. These bugs will eat a lot of pests, so it’s good to keep them around. Dill is also known to repel the tomato hornworm, so definitely consider planting these two plants as companions. If you have dill planted near violas or plants prone to aphid or other pest infestation, have no fear! This herb will repel aphids, cabbage loopers, and spider mites.

Dill is one of the host plants for Black Swallowtail butterflies, so keep an eye out for females fluttering about looking for places to lay their eggs. If you plan on using this herb for hosting caterpillars and for personal harvest, I suggest planting separate crops because caterpillars are heavy eaters and you may have none left for yourself! It is quite easy to coax larger caterpillars onto a big leaf or twig and move them from one area to another. I would not suggest moving eggs, as caterpillars can drown if hatched on moist soil.

Starting Indoors

Dill is not a plant that transplants well. It’s best to sow the seeds directly outdoors once your area’s last frost date has passed. If you’re planning on keeping them in a container, you may start them indoors at any time and slowly acclimate the seedlings to outdoor conditions a few hours a day for a week (this process is called “hardening off”). Once dill seedlings are hardened off, move them to a sunny spot outside.

Direct-Sowing Outdoors

Sow dill in well-draining soil that’s rich in organic matter/compost. When planting outside, note that the ideal soil temperature is 70°F. To keep a constant supply of dill throughout the growing season, continue sowing seeds periodically until mid-summer. If you intend on creating a patch of dill that will return year after year, allow some of the plants to flower and go to seed every season instead of harvesting. Leave the area untouched once the herb dies down and you’ll see it return all on its own the following season!

To plant dill seeds, prepare an area or container with well-draining soil rich in organic matter/compost. If using a container, fill the container to the top with soil, leaving about an inch of space between the lip and the soil surface. Sow dill seeds about ¼-inch deep in beds or cover gently with soil in containers. Water thoroughly to tuck them in. Keep in mind, dill usually takes 7-10 days to germinate so you’ll have quick turnaround. It’s also very important to shelter dill plants from strong winds, as they are quite fragile.

Once your seedlings appear, wait about 10-14 days before thinning so they can strengthen. Always keep the plants moist while germinating and sprouting. When the seedlings are a bit stronger, thin out some of the weaker ones to give the stronger ones good spacing. If your plants are spaced well enough already, then you can skip this step if you wish (especially if you’re planting strictly as a host plant for swallowtails).

Once the plants are established, continue watering freely during the growing season. As soon as dill plants have four or five leaves spouting off, they are ready to begin being harvested. To harvest, simply pinch off the outermost leaves or cut them off as needed.

To keep your plants producing, avoid letting flowers grow. The flower blooms are a sign that the plant is ready to go to seed. Pinching off the flowers as they appear will extend your harvest. Allow some plants to flower, go to seed, and be left undisturbed if you wish for them to return the following season. If dill was allowed to self-seed the previous year and the soil wasn’t disturbed, it will grow back on its own.

Growing as an Indoor Herb

When the weather outside gets colder, it’s alright to move dill indoors if it was planted in a container. You may also choose to grow dill from seed indoors year-round. Follow the direct-sowing instructions above and place the dill in a spot that will receive 6-8 hours of sunlight per day. Sow new dill seeds every few weeks in order to have a continuous supply throughout the entire year. As long as your plants are getting enough sunlight, you won’t have a problem growing dill indoors. The only thing you need to look out for is moldy topsoil. To avoid this, water in the mornings instead of the evenings, as soaking soil without sunlight will cause the mold to grow and kill your plants.