Fernleaf dill has especially dense foliage.
In the Garden
In addition to providing aromatic seeds and foliage, dill will brighten your garden with its yellow-green flowers in spring and fall. While typical dill grows to a height of 2 to 4 feet, Fernleaf dill is more compact, growing only 18 to 24 inches tall. It is a warm-season annual, but really loves mild weather–not too hot, not too cold. With its slender stem and delicate leaves, it makes a good mid- to back-of-the-border addition to your garden. Plant dill in a spot where it can easily reseed.
Dill isn’t just for eating. It’s also a beautiful plant. This clever windowbox design features dill as the tall backdrop plant, along with cherry tomatoes, begonia, coleus, and lantana filling and spilling out of the planter.
Dill likes direct sun and rich, well-drained soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Use organic matter to enrich the soil before planting.This plant likes mild weather and is best in the spring and again in fall. You may set out transplants following the last spring frost and then plant again 2 months prior to the first winter frost. Be sure to keep plants watered in dry weather.
Plants may need staking when in bloom to keep the tall flower stems from falling over. Also if your garden is in a windy spot. You can keep plants cut to delay flowering, or harvest the whole plant as soon as the dill flowers. The first winter frost will kill dill planted in the fall. However, if it had time to go to seed, the fallen seed may produce new plants in the spring.
The caterpillars of the black swallowtail butterfly will probably find your dill. Let them be, and enjoy the beautiful butterflies in your garden. Some gardeners plant enough dill for themselves and the caterpillars.
Plant dill far from fennel, since the cross-pollination of these herbs produces variable results. Dill, like parsley and fennel, draws the parsleyworm caterpillar, which is the larva of the black swallowtail butterfly. Plant enough to feed yourself and the caterpillars. Far from a pest, the butterflies are often encouraged by gardeners who plant dill and parsley in patches just to attract them.
Dill’s yellow blooms are a signal to harvest the plant. If you love the fragrance of dill, use the flowers and foliage in a cut arrangement.
Harvest dill foliage at any point between seedling and blooming stages. You may harvest the entire dill plant, preserving the foliage, as soon as the plant starts to flower and set seed. You can freeze leaves by snipping off an entire branch, putting it in a plastic bag, and storing it in the freezer. The flowers last a few days in a vase, too, if you’d like to display them, but be prepared to dust under them as they shatter.Harvest dill seeds as soon as they turn brown, before they fall to the ground. Snip the flower head from the stalk, then, in a warm, dry area, hang them upside-down in a paper bag. Once the seeds have dried and fallen into the bag, collect them for storage in an airtight container.
Dry the dill flowers and harvest the seeds for use in the kitchen, including as a flavoring in preserving recipes such as pickles and sauerkraut.
Dill seed is a pungent ingredient found in salad dressings, pickles, sauerkraut, and even breads. Enjoy the leaves at their peak when they are fresh, finely chopping for best flavor. Dill can be also a handy salt substitute for people on low-sodium diets.You can dry the leaves, but add them to dishes in greater quantity, as they are less flavorful than fresh leaves. Dill leaves may also be preserved in oil, butter, or vinegar for pickles or frozen in water or stock.
Why do you call your dill “fernleaf”? It looks like other dill I have grown.
What are these caterpillars on my dill, and how can I get rid of them?
I planted dill in the spring, but now it is dying. What happened?
I have lots of dill in my garden. How should I use it?
Just bought and planted this little dill in my garden. I’m hoping to use it for some of the pickled canning I do. I’m concerned about its lack of smell/taste though. Right now it doesn’t have much of Ny scent. Will this change?
Hi Michelle,
It sure can. And – remember to harvest your dill for use in the morning time (after the dew dries, but fefore the heat of day). This is when the oils are at their greatest. – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
I planted my dill in a container, that we assumed allowed for good draining. My parsley is thriving, by the way, in the same type container. My dill was doing well, when all of a sudden, it started turning yellow and had white fungus looking stuff at the root. It was in full sun, and seemed to never have too much water. This is my first attempt at growing herbs, so I am a little disappointed in the dill. What have I done wrong?
Hi Lee ,
It sounds like it was a little wet, especially if a white mold was growing along the type of the container soil. What type of soil mixture did you use? For containers, try a well draining soil mix for good drainage and plant health. Don’t let your first attempt discourage you! – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Hello My dill is turning yellow..is there anything I can do to save it.Thanks alot
Hello Denise,
Herbs like dill will start to yellow if their roots are too wet. Wet roots are caused by overwatering or poor soil drainage. Check the soil first to see how well the soil drains. If the top of the dill is starting to turn yellow, it may be about to flower. This is natural. Many harvest the seeds from the flower. Harvest dill seeds as soon as they turn brown, before they fall to the ground. Leave a few so the dill will reseed.
-Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Hi,
About a month ago I bought parsley, dill and basil plants for my garden. All of them have been growing vigorously and added great flavor to my salads, but about a week ago my dill started dying and stopped growing new leafs. It happened after it had blossomed. Is it a natural life cycle or something is wrong with it? How long is dill supposed to live? I expected it to grow and produce leafs for the whole summer. Can I plant a new one now? Thank you for advice.
Hi Marina,
Yes, this is the natural life cycle of dill. You can keep plants cut to delay flowering, but after the plant flowers, you can either harvest the whole plant or let it go to seed. The fallen seed may produce new plants in the spring. You can plant more dill a couple months before your first frost for another crop this season. Happy growing!
Kelly, Bonnie Plants