Needle-thin leaves much like fennel’s, then flat yellow flower heads that ripen into seeds worth eating: dill (Anethum graveolens) earns its place beside fish, shellfish, fresh cheese, sauces and marinades. It asks only for sun and light soil, plus steady watering, because a dry spell sends it into flower and the leaf harvest is over.
| Name | Apium graveolens |
|---|---|
| Family | Apiaceae (parsley family) |
| Type | herb plant, annual |
| Height | 20 to 24 inches (50 to 60 cm) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | ordinary, rather light |
| Flowering | midsummer to early autumn |
| Harvest | early summer to early autumn |
Growing it is easy and care is reduced for a harvest all summer long.
Dill is an easy plant that isn’t very demanding. This will make it possible for you to harvest its little leaves until late in the season.
Position the plant so that it doesn’t overshadow other herb plants you might be growing, because it reaches a height of about 3 feet (1 meter).
→ Dates for sowing and planting dill by the moon
Required care is down to a bare minimum, which is to say simply water when the ground is dry.
Cut the leaves just before the plant flowers. The leaves from the parts of the plant are ideal to flavor mixed salads, sauces and marinades.
You can also use and eat the tiny seeds that appear at the end of summer to flavor your meals, or mix them into your salt dispenser to give your salt a special flavor.
From the first sowing to the ripe seed heads, dill runs through a short and very simple cycle. This table gathers each stage, its timing and the single job it asks of you.
| Stage | When | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing | Spring, from mid-spring to the beginning of summer | Sow directly in the plot along a row, staging sowings to spread the harvest |
| Thinning | As soon as the first leaves appear | Thin to about 4 inches (20 cm) between plants |
| Watering | Whenever the ground is dry | Never let the soil dry out for long, or the plant bolts |
| Leaf harvest | early summer to early autumn, before flowering | Cut leaves for mixed salads, sauces and marinades |
| Flowering | midsummer to early autumn | Let the yellow flower heads set if you want seed |
| Seed harvest | End of summer | Gather the tiny seeds for cooking or for the salt dispenser |
Sowing in several batches is what keeps green leaves coming right through the season.
All garden dill is the one species, Anethum graveolens, but the named varieties behave quite differently: some are bred to keep making leaf, others race to flower and give you seed heads for pickling. This table compares the types you will find on ordinary seed racks and in mainstream catalogues.
| Variety | Best for | Habit | Bolting resistance |
|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Bouquet’ | Leaf and seed heads | Medium to tall | Flowers readily |
| ‘Dukat’ | Leaf, strongly aromatic | Medium | Slow to bolt |
| ‘Fernleaf’ | Pots and window boxes | Dwarf, compact | Slow to bolt |
| ‘Mammoth’ | Seed for pickling | Tall | Flowers readily |
| ‘Tetra’ | Leaf, heavy crops | Medium | Slow to bolt |
| ‘Vierling’ | Leaf and cut flower heads | Tall | Late to bolt |
Good companion plants for dill
Dill LOVES growing together with:
Broccoli, savoy cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cucumber, pickle, coriander, lettuce, turnip, onion and tomato.
Dill DREADS growing together with:
Absinthe, carrot, fennel, parsnip, parsley.
Reminiscent of aniseed, this finely flavored herb called dill also has the advantage of being very simple to grow.
Whether fresh or dried, it is perfectly suited to most dressings and sauces, fresh cheese, fish and shellfish, and even grilling seafood on the barbecue.
Its leaves are as thin as needles, quite similar to those of fennel, and its yellow-colored flowers evolve to produce delicious seeds at the end of summer.
Although only the species called Anethum graveolens grows in farms, it comes in a range of interesting varieties: ‘Dukat’, ‘Fernleaf’, ‘Hera’, ‘Mammoth’ and also ‘Tetra’.
If a pot is where you want to grow dill, get a hold of the ‘Fernleaf’ variety which is a dwarf variety: it will remain smaller than 16 inches (40 cm) tall.
Dill fears neither sun nor heat. It can thus be sown and planted in very exposed spots.
Just remember to keep it well watered or it’ll bolt, depriving you of fresh green leaves.
