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How to Grow Dill Plants: The Complete Guide

Fresh dill Anethum graveolens growing on the vegetable bed. Annual herb, family Apiaceae.

Learn how to plant, grow, and harvest dill with The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s plant guide.

Photo Credit
Skrypnykov Dmytro
Botanical Name
Anethum graveolens
Plant Type
Herbs
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Flower Color
Yellow
Special Features
Attracts Butterflies

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Dill

Catherine Boeckmann
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With its feathery green leaves, fragrant dill is commonly used in pickling, soups, dressings, and potato dishes. As its name suggests, dill “weed” is easy to grow! It’s also a great companion plant to deter pests. Here’s how to plant, grow, and harvest dill. 

About Dill

Native to Eurasia and the Mediterranean, dill is most at home in warmer climates. It’s an annual herb, so to create a permanent patch of dill, allow some of the plants to flower and go to seed each year—you’ll have plenty of early dill to start the next growing season. 

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Dill attracts beneficial insects such as wasps and other predatory insects to your garden and is a host plant for the caterpillar of the black swallowtail butterfly.

Black Swallowtail butterfly caterpillar on dill flower
Black swallowtail caterpillar on dill flowers.
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Planting

Dill plants grow best in full sun (6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight). Also, choose a location that is protected from strong winds, as dill’s tall foliage can be blown over easily.

Choose a planting site with well-draining soil rich in organic matter. The soil’s pH should ideally be between slightly acidic and neutral (6.5–7.0).

Plant dill near cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and other Brassicas; it’s thought to improve their growth and protect them from pests. Keep it away from carrots, however, as it can decrease yields. Learn more about companion planting! 

According to Jill MacKenzie and Shirley Mah Kooyman of the University of Minnesota Extension, “Growing dill indoors is possible, as long as you provide enough light.”

When to Plant Dill

  • Dill seeds should be sown directly into the garden (dill puts down a taproot, so like carrots, it doesn’t transplant well) after the threat of frost has passed in the spring. See local frost dates.
  • For the best germination results, the soil temperature should be between 60° and 70ºF (15° and 21°C). Seedlings should appear in 10 to 14 days.
  • If you’re planting dill for pickling, sow dill seeds every few weeks until midsummer to ensure a constant supply into fall.

How to Plant Dill

  • Sow dill seeds about ¼-inch deep.
  • Seedlings should appear after 10 to 14 days. Wait another 10 to 14 days, then thin the plants to about 10 to 12 inches apart (if they aren’t already spaced well enough).

Check out our video to learn more about the benefits of growing dill in your garden:

Growing

  • Water the plants freely during the growing season, ensuring that they don’t dry out excessively.
  • In order to ensure a season-long fresh supply of dill, continue sowing seeds every few weeks. For an extended harvest of the leaves, do not allow flowers to grow on the plants.
  • If dill is allowed to go to seed and the soil isn’t disturbed too much, more dill plants will likely appear next spring.

Dill foliage, flower, and seed

Types

  • ‘Fernleaf’ dill is a compact variety that works well in containers and is not prone to bolting.
  • ‘Bouquet’ is a larger variety that produces a lot of seeds.
  • ‘Mammoth’ is another tall variety and is considered one of the best for pickling and other culinary uses, such as in potato salads, cucumber soup, and fish dishes.

Harvesting

  • As soon as the plant has four to five leaves, you can start harvesting. Harvest older leaves first. Pinch off the leaves or cut them off with scissors.
  • If you have a lot of plants, you can take entire stalks.
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Pests/Diseases

  • Leaf spot and occasionally a few other types of fungal leaf and root diseases

Wit and Wisdom

  • For sweeter breath, chew dill seeds.
  • If you grow your own dill and cucumbers, you can make dill pickles!
  • Have you ever wondered, what exactly is a “kosher” dill pickle? Kosher is from a Hebrew word meaning “right,” “proper,” or “fit.” It is usually applied to food, especially to meat that has been slaughtered and prepared according to the prescribed manner. Kosher salt is not treated with additives and is as close to pure solar salt as you can get. If you taste a kosher dill pickle, you’ll know it’s been prepared in the best possible way.

Recipes

Quick and Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Dilled Green Beans
Pickled Green Beans (Dilly Beans)
Dill and Potato Cakes

Cooking Notes

Many people love to make dill pickles with their fresh dill. Learn how with our video on making dill pickles. You can also add dill as a seasoning in countless recipes.

Herbs
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

Fred Wilde (not verified)

10 months ago

I just can't grow dill......I kill everything I plant ....,. developing a serious complex here.

Ora (not verified)

1 year 7 months ago

I'm in Zone 5, coastal Maine. I had a fabulous crop of dill this year... but, it's time for garden clean-up. I'm wondering if I should just cut down my dill to ground level, or uproot them completely.
I've read dill has a long taproot. Will this benefit the soil if left in place or compete for space next season?
Thanks for your advice!

Hi, Ora. That’s great that you had such a dill-icious year! If you leave your plants undisturbed, you will get more dill next year, though not the same plants. Dill naturally self seeds, so leaving flower heads on your plants will encourage new plants next growing season.

Hi, Donna. It sounds like you stored your dill seeds in egg cartons, not that you have started your dill seeds in egg cartons. Checking to see if your seeds are still good is as easy as placing ten seeds on a damp paper towel, folding it up, and placing it in a plastic bag. Put the bag in a warm spot and check after a week or so to see if any of the seeds have sprouted. If 2 out of 10 germinate, that means a germination rate of about 20%—not very good, so either plant more of them than usual or buy fresh seeds altogether. If 8 out of 10 germinate, that means 80%—not bad at all! You can likely get away with using them for another season.

bobbie (not verified)

2 years 8 months ago

How does one dry dill and store

Hang the foliage in a warm, well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight. Once totally dry, the foliage should crumble easily; store it in herb jar or the like.

Jolie (not verified)

2 years 10 months ago

I tried growing dill for the first time this year; I planted it in an herb box where I have had success with other herbs for many years. It is in a sunny location, but the first drenching rain seems to have killed the dill! After the rain, there was one healthy-looking stalk and I transplanted it to a terracotta pot to keep it drier but it is clearly very unhappy... what is the secret to growing dill? Any ideas as to why this plant doesn't seem to do well?

Hi, Jolie, The drenching rain you cite probably did it in, causing root rot. It’s likely that the soil in the pot did not drain well—and/or the pot simply was not deep enough. Most varieties of dill create long tap roots that need space to stretch out. The transplant may have suffered from being moved. Think of it: being uprooted and resettled is a traumatic readjustment for any plant (or person) and not all survive. In future, provide a deep pot, rich (composted) well-draining soil (the pot material should not make a significant difference if all else is suitable), and give it 6 to 7 hours of direct sun (indoors, give is a south- or west-facing window). Indoors in part sun, water only when soil dries out; outdoors, especially in hot environments, regular moisture is the rule.

Rowan (not verified)

4 years ago

I plant dill every year in perpetual hope. Every year it grows beautifully. And then I come out on a morning to find something has eaten the roots. I've moved location, type of pot, sprinkled egg shells around it. I have never caught a glimpse of what eats the roots, even with a camera. Any suggestions on how to keep something from eating my dill?