How to grow Dill

At a glance

🌱 Grow your Dill with GardenDex

• Reminders to water it, timed to your weather and whether it's in a pot
• Frost and disease alerts for your garden, the night before
• Follow it from seed to harvest, and see what your garden grew in $
• Point your camera at any plant or bug to identify it

🗓️ When to plant

Sow seeds directly outdoors after the last frost in spring, or in mid-to-late summer for a fall harvest. For year-round dill, succession sow every 2–3 weeks.

🌰 How to plant

1. Sow seeds directly into garden soil or containers; do not transplant as dill has a delicate taproot.
2. Scatter seeds thinly and press lightly into soil; keep soil moist until germination (7–10 days).
3. Thin seedlings to the desired spacing once they have true leaves.
4. Plant in a sheltered spot if in a windy area, as tall varieties may need support.

💧 Care

• Pinch out the top growing tip when plants reach 15 cm (6 in) to encourage bushier growth and delay flowering.
• Avoid overwatering; dill prefers moderate moisture and dislikes wet feet.
• Fertilize lightly with balanced fertilizer every 3–4 weeks; too much nitrogen promotes leaves at the expense of flavor.
• Deadhead flower heads if you only want leaves, or allow flowers to mature for seed collection.

🧺 Harvest

Pinch off young leaves anytime after 3–4 weeks for fresh use in cooking. Harvest entire seed heads when they turn brown and dry, then hang upside down in a paper bag to collect seeds.

🐛 Common problems

Spider mites: Spray with water or insecticidal soap; keep humidity moderate and avoid overcrowding.

Powdery mildew: Improve air circulation, avoid overhead watering, and remove affected leaves promptly.

Leaf spot: Water at soil level rather than from above, and remove infected leaves to prevent spread.

🤝 Companion plants

💚 Good neighbours: Cucumber, Broccoli, Cabbage, Lettuce

⚠️ Keep apart from: Fennel, Carrot

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