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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

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 08/19/2013 - 12:21

Let's back up and explain how to save dill seeds. After dill flowers, you let the seed heads dry on the plant. Harvest early so the seedheads don't burst. Dry out in a brown paper bag. Once the seed heads are dried out, just remove the seeds from the seed heads. Store in envelopes or small glass jars until planting time! Once the dill flowers and goes to seed, it's time is done. Start anew.

 <span>Emily5</span> Tue, 07/02/2013 - 13:39
My dill is flowering, when do I know it went to seed? Also, my dad wants the leaves and seeds to make pickles. Can I collect the leaves, chop them and dry them? Or do they have to be fresh?
<span>Jbush</span> Wed, 03/05/2014 - 17:02
I use my own home grown dill and dill seeds for pickling and it works well for me. What I do is harvest the seeds heads as they start to mature and dry them in paper bags. I save the seeds for next years crop and for pickling. Once I have a batch of cucumbers ready to pickle, pick fresh dill and use it with seeds from the previous year for my pickling spice mixture.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 07/08/2013 - 12:32
Dill needs to be harvested before its umbrella-like flower clusters open. For dill pickles, you can put the whole flower head and leaves in a jar with the pickled cukes or veggies. The head should still be green and flexible; flowers should have given way to seeds, but the seeds do not need to be fully mature.
<span>Anonymous</span> Thu, 12/13/2012 - 19:53
I recently moved to a new apt, and my dill is in a rectangular pot, it was happy for a day but then it died, with died i mean all the leaves have withered away> what could be the probable reason? is the temperature too warm for it? now only that there were other dill growing in few other pots all of them have gone bad.. my dill were lovely lush green about 8-10 inches :( can anyone suggest what happened? i had left it next to the heater vent for warmth also the sun did not shine for 3 days since i moved..did that cause it?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 07/29/2013 - 10:35

You mentioned a heater vent. Dill will die when the weather gets hot or exposed to heat. 

 <span>Laurier</span> Fri, 07/26/2013 - 19:16
The exact same thing happened to mine --- I had 4 plants the same age, 3were out in my garden and one inside on kitchen window sill along with some other plants ---they were all fine for a month or more, then one day the inside dill was limp and dying ....?? It was at the growth stage where the ones outside are starting to flower ----- is this a clue?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 07/29/2013 - 10:37

Yes, after the plant flowers, it is done. You can either harvest the whole plant or let it go to seed to produce more plants in the spring.

 <span>A Schweinle</span> Wed, 05/29/2013 - 15:00
Did the apartment complex spray an herbicide? It could have blown onto your plants.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 12/14/2012 - 14:46
Not sure what happened. The temperature was maybe too warm next to the heater vent. Indoors dill needs at least 5 to 6 hours of direct sunlight or you can use a fluorescent light above the plant. Dill roots are long so your pots need to be deep.