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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. If you're a big fan, try growing dill in a spot where it can easily reseed. And make sure you start with strong young dill plants from Bonnie Plants®, the company that has been helping home gardeners succeed for over 100 years.
Quick Guide to Growing Dill
- Plant dill during the mild weather of spring and fall. Dill is an excellent option for growing in raised garden beds, containers, and in-ground gardens.
- Space dill plants 12 to 15 inches apart in an area with abundant sunlight and fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.
- Before planting, mix in several inches of aged compost or other rich organic matter into your native soil.
- Check soil moisture often and water when the top inch becomes dry.
- Promote fantastic leaf growth by regularly feeding with water-soluble plant food.
- Harvest dill at any time once leaves are large enough for use.
Soil, Planting, and Care
Dill likes direct sun and rich, well-drained soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Use compost or aged compost-enriched Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose In-Ground Soil to enrich the soil before planting. If you plan to grow dill in pots, fill them premium quality potting mix, like Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose Container Mix (which also contains compost), for best results. This plant likes mild weather and is best in the spring and again in fall. You may set out plants following the last spring frost and then plant again two months prior to the first winter frost. Space them 12 to 15 inches apart. Be sure to keep plants watered in dry weather.
For best growth and lots of tasty leaves, you'll want to feed your dill with premium plant food in addition to planting it in top-notch soil. Nourish them with a water-soluble plant food like Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition, which feeds both plants and the beneficial microbes in the soil, throughout the growing season. This is especially important when you harvest your dill frequently.
Plants may need staking when in bloom to keep the tall flower stems—true butterfly magnets—from falling over, especially if you get a lot of wind. You can keep plants cut to delay flowering and extend your harvest, or harvest the whole plant as soon it 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.
You can also grow dill indoors. One easy way to do that is to plant it in a water-based (aka hydroponic) system like the Miracle-Gro® Twelve™ Indoor Growing System. It circulates water, air, and plant food directly to plant roots, and light comes from an LED grow light above the plants. There's no need to deal with soil or worry about whether your dill has the right growing conditions to thrive.
Troubleshooting
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.
Harvest and Storage
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 disintegrate.
Uses
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 flavour. 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 flavourful than fresh leaves. Dill leaves may also be preserved in oil, butter, or vinegar for pickles, or frozen in water or stock.
FAQs
Why do you call your dill "fernleaf"? It looks like other dill I have grown.
Fernleaf is a selection of dill that has more abundant foliage. If you are growing dill for its flavorful foliage, this is the one you want. Like the dill you have grown before, Fernleaf will give you flowers and eventually seeds. Fernleaf dill is also a little shorter than other dill plants, so it will be less likely to blow over in a storm and need staking.
What are these caterpillars on my dill, and how can I get rid of them?
The most common caterpillars on dill are colorful black, white, yellow, and green-striped creatures. As far as caterpillars go, they are quite lovely. And if you leave them alone, they will be even prettier, as they will mature into swallowtail butterflies. If you can, allow them to dine on your dill, as well as your fennel and parsley. Plant a few extra so there will be enough for you and the butterfly babies.
I planted dill in the spring, but now it is dying. What happened?
Dill will bloom, set seeds, and die when the weather gets hot. Collect the browning flower stalks with the attached seeds in a paper bag. Let the seeds dry thoroughly, and then store them in a bottle in the freezer. These are good for seasoning in the summer and again in winter when fresh dill foliage is not available. Then in the fall, plant more dill at least 2 months before the first expected frost. Any seeds that drop to the soil have a good chance of germinating next spring.
I have lots of dill in my garden. How should I use it?
While dill is a well-known seasoning for salmon, it is good on all fish. Of course, we think of dill pickles, but fresh dill is nice with fresh cucumbers, alone, or chopped in a tossed salad. Dill can be added to mixed-herb vinegar, or it can be made into dill vinegar to be used later when the cucumbers are ready. It is also nice to use in sauces for seafood or in herbed butter.
