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Planting and Growing Dill

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.

Image Credit:
Skrypnykov Dmytro
Botanical Name
Anethum graveolens
Grown as
Annual
Toxicity
Non-toxic
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Water Needs
Moderate
Height
1–3 feet
Spread
1–3 feet
Soil pH
Acidic
Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Flower Color
Yellow
Special Features
Container-Friendly
Cut Flower
Fragrant
Low Maintenance
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Pollinators
Attracts Songbirds
Deer-resistant
Rabbit-resistant
Resilience
Cold Hardy
Plant Type
Herbs
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

With its delicate fronds, tangy flavor, and natural pest-repelling powers, dill is the herb that does it all. Whether you’re crafting crunchy pickles, tossing together a creamy potato salad, or looking to attract pollinators to your garden, this feathery favorite is a must-grow. 

Best of all? It lives up to its nickname “dill weed”—because it practically grows like one! Let’s dig into how to plant, grow, and harvest dill with ease.

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. 

Buy Seeds Now

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 flowers.
Black swallowtail caterpillar on dill flowers.

Planting

Where to Plant Dill

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; dill is 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

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.

Pests and Problems

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

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.

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 has been prepared in the best possible way.

Herbs

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

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

<span>Sherri Gibson</span> Sun, 08/24/2014 - 14:03
Gas? Really. Have you thought that through? You will be ingesting traces of that. Rinsing or not. The green bugs sound like aphids.. A spray of warm soapy water is usually sufficient to rid yourself of those pests while it is also much safer to put into your food supply. Just a suggestion. Keep an eye out for them throughout the season so they cannot get out of control.
<span>Ginger Martin</span> Tue, 08/12/2014 - 12:49
Can I dry the seeds and replant for next year.using the seeds I harvested.???
<span>Dill</span> Sun, 09/21/2014 - 05:21
I love Dill, Plant it, pick it, let it go to seed and love it. You better love it because little dill plants will pop up everywhere in the garden. : ) I have dill as a vegie. I'm a vegetable gardener type of the 'grow everything and eat what grows well'. My comments also work for silver beet, eat it and let it go to seed. Baby silver beets everywhere! Even growing in cracks in the concrete paths.
<span>Jolyn Martin</span> Sat, 05/30/2015 - 17:56
I have a dill-like plant growing like a weed in my vegetable garden. It smells like dill, tastes like dill, looks like dill.. But I did not plant any dill. it's showing up spontaneously throughout my flower garden as well. I'm very confused about it.
<span>Catherine</span> Thu, 06/01/2017 - 03:36
Hi did anyone answer your question. I have also just discovered something in my garden that smells and looks like dill and is growing prolifically but I have never planted any. I'm reluctant to eat it in case it's not dill! Is it likely to be anything else amd any ideas how it got there?
<span>Lora</span> Sun, 07/09/2017 - 17:10
I think I have the same problem. I thought it was dill because I did plant some. But, these other ones are growing in different places. It smells like dill, but, smells horrible when I rub it or cut it up.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 08/13/2014 - 09:14

Yes, you can, Ginger. If you need specifics on how to, here is the process in detail:

http://ucanr.edu/sites/scmg/The_Kitchen_Garden/Additional_KG_Articles/Harvesting_and_Preserving_Dill/

 <span>Es</span> Thu, 08/07/2014 - 17:32
The leaves of my plant are getting white spots that are spreading to the upper leaves. The white spots almost look gray in color. Also, some pickles are turning yellow before maturation and do not continue to grow. Please advice as this is my first season planting dill pickles! Thanks :)
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 08/08/2014 - 10:14

It could be powdery mildew, a fungus. Or it could be something else. See this coopoerative extension site: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7406.html

By the way, you know that pickles do not grow "dilled" on the vine, right?  The dilling happens when you make them that way. Here are several recipes: http://www.almanac.com/search/apachesolr_search/dill%20pickles?filters=type:recipe

 <span>Cathy Eads</span> Sun, 08/03/2014 - 15:37
Hello I am a beginner at planting herbs. I want to plant Dill and Garlic for my canning next year. I live in NW Arkansas. When is the right time to plant Dill/Garlic in this region. Thanks So Much Cathy