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How to Grow Dill: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting 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

An Easy, Fragrant Herb That Pairs Well with Pickles and Pollinators

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.

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. 

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 flower
Black swallowtail caterpillar on dill flowers.

Read Next

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

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.

Gardening Products

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 to make dill pickles. You can also add dill as a seasoning in countless recipes.

Herbs
About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 04/18/2014 - 15:54

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

 <span>Don Schwartz</span> Fri, 04/18/2014 - 19:06
Thank you for your response, I bought a package of fernleaf dill and will grow it and try adding to my dishes after I have removed them from the heat prior to serving. Thanks again, Don
<span>Pamela Whatley</span> Mon, 02/03/2014 - 16:14
I have had trouble growing dill. I live in NW FL and put out plants after danger of frost. After a few weeks, it dies. I have a small raised bed that is on my sprinkler system and gets plenty of sun. The rest of my herbs grow just fine, but I want dill!! Can you tell me what I am doing wrong?
<span>Jbush</span> Wed, 03/05/2014 - 16:55
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!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 02/07/2014 - 12:54

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!

 <span>Graceg</span> Thu, 10/03/2013 - 02:38
I had planted my seeds 3 weeks ago and I see nothing. I tend to it like a baby, I put it outside in the sun during the day and bring it inside at night, 3 weeks and nothing :( I live in Southwest FL and this is my first attempt to grow dill from seeds. I really want to learn to grow a garden and have my own food, please help me. I also planted chia seeds and they sprouted so fast and nice I am already putting it in salads, but my dill doesn't even have a speck of growth :( I would so appreciate the advice. Thank you.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Sat, 10/05/2013 - 02:44

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.

 <span>Suraiya Mohd Ali</span> Sat, 08/24/2013 - 07:31
Does dill grow in tropical condition?
<span>L. Hernandez</span> Sat, 08/17/2013 - 13:33
I have a 2 part question. 1)When my dill flowered I cut the flowers off and put them in brown paper bags, then fed the rest to my rabbit before the plant died. The flowers are now dry and brown and have darker, what I believe to be, seeds on them. Are these ok to save to plant next year or did I kill them all together? And if I can, what is the best way to get them off the dried plant? Next question, which I think technically makes it a 3rd. In the planters where the dill was, I now have what looks like grass stems with feathered like parts at the tops. I don't remember the dill looking like this before, but is it possible that's what it is? Don't want to pluck them out if they are young herbs.
<span>Raydiate</span> Wed, 01/01/2014 - 10:45
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."