How to Grow Dill: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Guide

I simply chop and put into an ice cube tray and pour olive oil into each individual cube....freeze and put into a freezer bag for future use. I do that with all my herbs.

You can harvest the dill seeds when the flower head (umbel) turns brown but the stem is still slightly green (wait a day or two if it had rained--you don't want the plant to be wet). Don't wait too long, though, or the seeds will fall. Just clip the seed heads off the plant and over a container or bag, carefully rub the seed head so that the seeds fall into the container. Although some sources say that dill doesn't need further treatment, to play it safe, you can then dry the seeds on paper towels for about a week (winnow out any chaff), before storing in a cool, dry location.

If the leaves are turning pale, 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 the color change.

Yeah it's sounds like a slow death, dehydrating whilst stuck to a piece of tape. Just buy lady birds I would suggest.

We are inclined to think the problem is in the soil. Dill will grow in poor soil; but if you have not already, you could try well-drained/draining composted soil, and full sun. There seems to be enthusiasts of both camps (poor soil, composted soil). It does not do well when over watered or in rainy season. One other thought, going back to the soil: What is the pH of your soil? Dill likes a neutral pH of between 5.5 and 6.5. An extreme acid or alkaline soil could be the issue here, if all else is as it should be.

We hope this helps!

I purchased a miracle aero system with dill. Works great.

The aphids are sticky so you need a vinegar rinse to release them.  Add a cup of white vinegar to a bowl of cold water and wash the dill in the water. Then rinse a few times in vinegar-free water.  If it's still too heavily invested, talk to the place where you got them.  Also, for what it's worth, eating an aphid is harmless protein, but we understand that you wouldn't want to eat bugs!

The ideal time to sow dill seeds directly into the ground is late April through May. But given the fact that several crops can be harvested during the summer and fall by planting seeds every 2-3 weeks through midsummer, you might want to start a batch now.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hi, Heather, It's difficult to provide a specific answer but we can tell you that dill does not transplant easily; it is best sown in the ground. Your failure could have been lack of light. It doesn't seem likely that something ate the dill; if so, it may have been something in the soil, but that seems unlikely too, if you're using a soil-less seed-starting medium.

You can plant dill seed anytime as long as the soil is not frozen. There are organic sprays that will kill the bad bugs and not the good ones. Neem oil is one. Weekly use of neem oil spray will not hurt beneficial insects.

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.

Um, I hope you were joking when you suggested using Gasoline as a bug killer on your Dill plants! Not only is it dangerous to ingest as was pointed out to you already, but you are also poisoning the Earth when you pour Gasoline on the ground. It will not only kill the bugs, it will kill the plants and kill all the good things in the soil so that nothing will grow there the next year! Finally, Gasoline seeps into our water supply poisoning our water. Why do you think it's so important to make sure that the underground storage tanks at gas stations don't leak into the water supply?

O-M-G, people!!!!! This post was so obviously a (mildly funny) joke. Lighten up!!!

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...

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.

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%20pi...

Hi Cathy, What a great idea. In your area of Arkansas, you plant garlic in October, November, and December.  Plant dill in April.

Yellow dill is crying for fertilizer/nutrients. Check the pH; it likes 5 to 7, and composted soil. The red...may be screaming for help. We just don't have an answer for that. Sorry. Dill repels aphids, so that's not a cause.

Red dill leaves are often the result of Carrot motley dwarf (CMD) which is spread from infected plants by aphids. All plants in the dill, carrot (umbelliferous) family are susceptible, hence the advice never to grow carrots and dill in close proximity. There is no cure. Plant something unrelated in that plot at next planting! I have it in my garden right now and am very sad that I'll lose both crops. Sorry you're going through this too.

If you allow dill to flower, the plant will cease producing leaves. When the plant sets seeds (following the flower), the plant will die.

Dill leaves (foliage) stored i nthe refrigerator (not the freezer) has shelf life if about 3 weeks.

If you can, harvest leaves (foliage) before the flowers open. Cut the stems with scissors and group them in bundles loosely gathered with kitchen string or rubber bands. Hang the bundles upsidedown in a warm dark place that has good air circulation. They will be dried and ready for use when they are crisp and crumble at the touch. Crumble them and store them in an airtight jar. (If, in a week, you notice condensation on the jar, remove the dill and set it aside to dry completely.)

Your dill may have root rot, most likely something that was wrong when you bought it. (A type of root rot mentioned above.) If the plant has any green, healthy foliage, snip it while you can.

Dill's leaves are quite thin and feathery. You just use the top 8 inches. The leaves are best when they are used fresh (though you can freeze and store). You can save the dill seeds, too.

Some ideas are: You can buy small stakes at a garden nursery or make your own, such as using a popsicle stick, chopstick, plastic or wooden ruler, etc. Be careful not to injure the roots when inserting the stake; support the seedling loosely with string tied around the stake. Or, you can make a mini cage, sort of like a tomato or peony cage, using wire shaped into a cylinder with prongs to sink into the soil. As the dill grows larger, you'll need a larger support. If your seedlings are leggy, make sure that they are getting enough light, and that you turn the pot every so often, if the light is coming from one side rather than on top.

This is occurring because your dill plant is not exposed to the elements. For proper growth to occur, your plant needs some artificial stimulation so it can grow strong enough to support itself. It is probably too late now, but next time spend a few seconds of your day tossling the leaves around to mimic the effects of wind. This will stimulate the growth of supportive cell types which will allow your plant to hold itself up.

Yes, pruning dills (and most herbs) regularly promotes vigorous, sturdy growth. If you harvest herbs regularly, this should keep your plants pruned.

Plants of the Asteraceae (aka Compositae) family tend to attract ladybugs. These plants include sunflower, asters, goldenrod, daisies, yarrow, etc. Also, members of the Apiaceae (aka Umbelliferae), which includes dill, fennel, parsley, carrot, etc. You might want to check with your local nursery as to which native plants fall into these two families, or if they know of other native plants that are known to attract ladybugs in your area.

Many species of ladybugs eat aphids. They may be attracted to dill more to feast on aphids than the dill itself.

Fresh dill loses its flavor quickly when heated. It is best to add it at the very end of cooking.

Make sure that the soil is allowed to dry completely before watering again. Could your sprinkler system be giving the dill too much water? Dill doesn't like overwatering, and tends to get diseases in that case.

Also be sure to thin the seedlings to about a foot or so apart. Soil should be loose, well-drained.

Dill also does not transplant well; direct sowing is usually more successful.

Hope this helps!

Dill does not transplant well. It grows much better when sown directly into the soil. Contrary to a lot of published information, it will grow in most soils was long as it’s not soggy. I grow it in sand that has been enriched with manure and it always performs well. My only problem is getting to use it before the rabbits eat it!

Dill is a good choice as it is a hardy South Florida herb. It usually grows very easily.  October through March is a good time to seed dill in your area. One common issue is planting the seed too deeply. When you do seed, just scatter in the soil like grass seed (1/4-inch deep) and it should sprout in 10-14 days. Keep it outside.  Do not overwater at dill is drought-resistant; just water in intervals twice a week.  For growing dill in containers, choose those that are at least 10 inches deep to accommodate its taproot and have drainage holes.

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.

Yes, dill seedlings look like tiny sprigs of grass, and the leaves are feathery. Dill is very good at reseeding, so that's probably what they are! :) No wonder it's called dill "weed."

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.

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.

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.

Did the apartment complex spray an herbicide? It could have blown onto your plants.

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?

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

Hi, Rowan, Thanks for your interest in The Old Farmer's Almanac. Strange as it might be, it sounds like pocket gophers (Thomomys bottae) are getting into your pots. These little critters like the roots of several plants—dill, potatoes, even ornamental bulbs. We found a couple of possible solutions: commercial animal urine (apply as directed) and/or wire mesh (put over the pot at soil level, around the base of the plant—easier said than done, to be sure). You might also try a few moth balls scattered on the surface of the soil. FWIW, some caterpillars eat dill (and parsley and carrot) greens, but they are not like to beneath the soil. We hope this helps!

You have a black swallowtail butterfly caterpillar on your dill. Dill, carrot tops, parsley, and fennel are their favorite food and they will eat a lot. Don’t get rid of the caterpillar; just plant more dill.

these are black swallowtail caterpillars.they DO eat a lot, yes, but do not kill them. the butterflies they turn into are both beneficial and beautiful. I had these butterflies lay eggs all over my dill.I just let them grow up and soon(if birds don't get them)they will make their chrysalis and become butterflies