How to grow dill

Anethum graveolens · Apiaceae · Herb

Dill is a cool-season herb in the Apiaceae family, almost always sown straight into the ground where it will grow. It wants full sun (six or more hours of direct light) and steady, even moisture. From sowing to first pick is about 40–60 days. It shrugs off a light frost but a hard freeze will damage it.

Grower’s note: Taprooted - sow where it will grow. Self-seeds happily once established. Keep well away from carrots (they cross and both suffer) and from mature tomatoes.

Sowing

Sow about 0.25″ deep, into soil between 50–75°F — germination is quickest near 65°F. It is slow and often erratic to germinate (10–21 days). It does not transplant well, so sow it in its final position rather than starting it in pots.

Spacing & layout

Give each plant about 8″ along the row with roughly 18″ between rows. On a square-foot grid that is 4 per square foot. Allow at least 12″ of loose, workable soil for the roots. It grows well in containers at least 12″ deep.

Fitting it to your season

As a cool-season crop, dill does its best growing in the mild weather of spring and fall and tends to bolt or turn bitter in summer heat. A second sowing in late summer, timed to mature as the weather cools, is usually the better crop of the year — though a hard freeze will end it.

Quick facts

When to plant dill

Companions

Common problems

Pests: black swallowtail caterpillar, aphids.

Diseases & disorders: powdery mildew, cercospora leaf spot, damping off.

Same family (Apiaceae)

Rotate these so they don’t follow each other in the same bed year to year.

Figures are typical home-garden ranges from Cooperative Extension planting guides, cross-checked against multiple state sources. Your variety and conditions will vary.