How to Grow Dill From Seed

Sow dill outdoors after your last spring frost, once the soil has warmed to around 60F. Dill grows a long taproot and does not like being moved, so it is happiest sown right where it will grow rather than started indoors and transplanted. In mild regions you can keep sowing a small patch every few weeks through early summer for a steady supply of fresh leaves, a trick called succession sowing. In hot climates, an early fall sowing also works well.

Choose a sunny, sheltered spot with loose, well-drained soil. Scatter or sow the seeds about a quarter inch deep and barely cover them, since dill likes a little light to germinate. Water gently and keep the surface evenly moist. Seeds usually sprout in 7 to 14 days. Once seedlings are a few inches tall, thin them to about 10 to 12 inches apart so each plant has room for its feathery foliage and tall flower stalks.

Dill is refreshingly low maintenance. Give it about an inch of water a week, more in hot, dry spells, and let the top of the soil dry slightly between waterings. It is not a heavy feeder, so skip the rich fertilizer, which pushes floppy growth. Working a little life into the soil at planting is the one thing that pays off all season: it helps the roots find water and nutrients so plants stand up sturdy. Tall plants in windy gardens may appreciate a small stake. Heat is the thing to watch: across the South and in a hot Midwest summer, dill bolts to seed quickly once temperatures climb, so plant early and sow again in late summer for a fall crop. Left to flower and drop seed, it happily self-sows and comes back on its own the following spring in most zones.

Dill is a wonderful herb-garden neighbor. Its lacy flowers bring in ladybugs, hoverflies, and tiny beneficial wasps that keep aphids in check, so it helps the plants around it. These four grow happily right beside dill, in a bed or a sunny container, and you can add any of them in one click:

You can start snipping fresh dill leaves once a plant has several feathery stems, usually about 40 to 60 days from sowing. Take a little from the top of each plant and it will keep producing, so harvest often for the best flavor. For pickling, let some plants flower and form seed heads, then cut the umbels once the seeds turn tan and dry them on a tray. Morning, after the dew has dried, is the best time to pick for the strongest aroma.

Fresh dill leaves brighten salads, potato dishes, dips, and fish, and are best added near the end of cooking since heat fades the flavor fast. The seed heads are what you want for homemade dill pickles, and the dried seeds season breads and dressings. In the garden, the flowers pull in pollinators and feed black swallowtail caterpillars, so letting a plant or two bloom is a gift to the whole patch.

• Bolting too fast: heat and dry soil push dill to flower early. Sow in cooler weather, keep it watered, and pinch off the first flower buds to stretch your leaf harvest.
• Patchy germination: dill needs light and steady moisture to sprout. Barely cover the seeds and keep the surface damp until they come up.
• Aphids: a strong spray of water usually clears them, and the beneficial insects dill attracts will handle the rest.