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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
Herb
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. 

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.
Read Next

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

Varieties
  • ‘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

Vicky Hamilton (not verified)

8 years 11 months ago

I have a dill plant and part of the plant is turning yellow Is it still good to dry or is there a problem with the dill itself

If the leaves are turning yellow early in the season, it could be due to several things. Make sure that it is getting enough light—at least 6 to 8 hours a day. Do not over-fertilize, which can cause yellowing. Also, check for pests, such as aphids. A few diseases may also cause yellowing.

Liam Moyniha (not verified)

9 years 4 months ago

Hi I'm thinking about getting into gardening this year and I wanted to try planting dill alongside lettuce and cucumbers. I'm also considering adding in some flowers but I'm not sure what to go with. Any suggestions?

There are so many flowers to choose from. Here are a couple of annuals that you can start from seed. They are easy to care for and will work well with veggies and herbs. Cosmos, nasturtiums, and marigolds. You can check our growing guide for flowers at http://www.almanac.com/plants.

camryn forrest (not verified)

9 years 5 months ago

thanks. i needed this cuz we just got stuff from school to plant
thankssss

greg mccoy (not verified)

9 years 7 months ago

Thanks!

greg mccoy (not verified)

9 years 7 months ago

I want to maintain my dill patch long term....year after year, so I want the dill to re-seed itself. At the end of the season, should I till the patch or just leave it?

As stated in the dill article, the soil should remain undisturbed. I had a dill patch that came back for years until we dug up the bed and very few plants survived that. Dill seeds need light to germinate so if they get too deeply buried they will not come up.

mr.jan (not verified)

9 years 8 months ago

Can dill keep growing every year on it's own now for 70yrs.+

Dill is considered an annual herb but it self seeds at the end of the growing season if seed heads are left on the plants. One plant has many seeds so it will come back year after year.