Dill

Graceful in the garden, dill plants attract beneficial insects to their flat-headed, yellow flowers and offer both seeds and leaves, called dill weed, when dried. Although not difficult to grow, dill is a bit more challenging to sustain than some other herbs as it requires flower removal and repeated sowing.

Getting Started

Select seed from among several dill varieties.
- Popular ‘Bouquet’ grows to about 3 ft.
- ‘Fernleaf’ is a slow-to-bolt, 18-24 in. dwarf suited for container growing.
- ‘Superdukat,’ a 2-ft hybrid, is intensely flavored and slow-bolting.
- ‘Long Island Mammoth,’ popular commercially, grows to about 30 in. for a source of both leaves and seed.
- ‘Hercules’ and ‘Tetra Leaf’ are more recent varieties that are slow to flower and, thus, have good leaf production.
Amend heavy clay soil with composted organic material or grow in a raise bed with a soil mix.
Grow dill in an outdoor pot at least 12 in. deep to accommodate its taproot.

Sowing Seed

Sow dill seeds directly in the ground in full sun 2-3 weeks before the last frost date, April 15 in Sonoma County, or delay sowing until early May to avoid any weather surprises.
Continue planting every 2-3 weeks until early summer for a continuous crop throughout the growing season.
Plant tall, bushy varieties along the sunny, north side of your garden so they don’t shade shorter, sun-loving herbs or vegetables.
Sow seeds only ¼ in. deep or less to provide light needed for germination. Starting plants indoors is not recommended; dill, like other plants with taproots, does not transplant well.
Plant in rows 2 ft. apart or prepare a square foot or larger area. Broadcast seeds and rake into the soil to the recommended depth. Consider planting dill in a clump where it can be allowed to self-seed for successive crops.
Thin seedlings when they are 2-4 in. tall, leaving the strongest plants. Avoid crowding to allow for ample air circulation. Spacing 12-18 in. apart is recommended unless you prefer tall plants to support each other in the wind. Taller varieties may require staking.

Care and Harvesting

Water regularly until plants are established. Allow soil to dry between waterings. Plants will rot when overwatered.
Harvest dill weed as soon as its needle-like foliage appears. Encourage continued leaf production by removing flowers as they form unless you plan to harvest seed. When seeds are set, the plant dies.
Expect heat-sensitive dill to bolt when summer temperatures soar, ending production.
Re-plant in September in Sonoma County for a cool-season crop. New seeds germinate quickly.
Expect to find parsley worms, larvae of the beautiful swallowtail butterfly, feeding on a few leaves. Larvae go through 5 stages from black/brown with orange markings and spines to smooth, pale green fat bodies with black and yellow stripes before pupating and emerging as yellow and black butterflies.

Additional Information

April 2022