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Dill: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Dill Weed in the Garden | The Old Farmer's Almanac

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Dill

Learn how to plant, grow, and harvest dill with The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s plant guide.

Botanical Name
Anethum graveolens
Plant Type
Herb
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Flower Color
Yellow
Special Features
Attracts Butterflies

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Dill

Catherine Boeckmann
July 10, 2023
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With its feathery green leaves, fragrant dill is used commonly in pickling, soups, dressings, and potato dishes. As its name suggests, dill “weed” is easy to grow! It’s also a great companion plant to deter pests. Here’s how to plant, grow, and harvest dill. 

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. 

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

Dill grows 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 that’s rich in organic matter. The pH of the soil should ideally be between slightly acidic and neutral (6.5–7.0).

Plant dill near cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and other Brassicas; it’s 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! 

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.
  • The soil temperature should be between 60° and 70ºF (15° and 21°C) for the best germination results. 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.
  • After 10 to 14 days, seedlings should appear. 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

Recommended Varieties
  • ‘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

Wit and Wisdom
  • For sweeter breath, chew dill seeds.
  • If you grow your own dill and cucumbers, you can make dill pickles!
Pests/Diseases
  • Leaf spot and occasionally a few other types of fungal leaf and root diseases
Recipes
Quick and Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Dilled Green Beans
Dill and Potato Cakes
Cooking Notes

Many people love to make dill pickles with their fresh dill. Learn how with our video on making dill pickles. You can also add dill as a seasoning in countless recipes.

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Comments

Ora (not verified)

4 weeks 1 day ago

I'm in Zone 5, coastal Maine. I had a fabulous crop of dill this year... but, it's time for garden clean-up. I'm wondering if I should just cut down my dill to ground level, or uproot them completely.
I've read dill has a long taproot. Will this benefit the soil if left in place or compete for space next season?
Thanks for your advice!

Hi, Ora. That’s great that you had such a dill-icious year! If you leave your plants undisturbed, you will get more dill next year, though not the same plants. Dill naturally self seeds, so leaving flower heads on your plants will encourage new plants next growing season.

bobbie (not verified)

1 year 2 months ago

How does one dry dill and store

Hang the foliage in a warm, well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight. Once totally dry, the foliage should crumble easily; store it in herb jar or the like.

Jolie (not verified)

1 year 4 months ago

I tried growing dill for the first time this year; I planted it in an herb box where I have had success with other herbs for many years. It is in a sunny location, but the first drenching rain seems to have killed the dill! After the rain, there was one healthy-looking stalk and I transplanted it to a terracotta pot to keep it drier but it is clearly very unhappy... what is the secret to growing dill? Any ideas as to why this plant doesn't seem to do well?

Hi, Jolie, The drenching rain you cite probably did it in, causing root rot. It’s likely that the soil in the pot did not drain well—and/or the pot simply was not deep enough. Most varieties of dill create long tap roots that need space to stretch out. The transplant may have suffered from being moved. Think of it: being uprooted and resettled is a traumatic readjustment for any plant (or person) and not all survive. In future, provide a deep pot, rich (composted) well-draining soil (the pot material should not make a significant difference if all else is suitable), and give it 6 to 7 hours of direct sun (indoors, give is a south- or west-facing window). Indoors in part sun, water only when soil dries out; outdoors, especially in hot environments, regular moisture is the rule.

Rowan (not verified)

2 years 5 months ago

I plant dill every year in perpetual hope. Every year it grows beautifully. And then I come out on a morning to find something has eaten the roots. I've moved location, type of pot, sprinkled egg shells around it. I have never caught a glimpse of what eats the roots, even with a camera. Any suggestions on how to keep something from eating my dill?

It could be a vole. They go after the roots of all kinds of plants. I am currently having problems with voles in my yard. I have a hill side of junipers that gives them cover. I would think that a pot would keep them away.

Brian (not verified)

2 years 11 months ago

I have a huge patch of Dill in my garden, but it doesn’t taste like true Dill. Seems the flavor has grown out of it. Should I just plant more nearby? Its soil is sandy and well drained and I don’t have to worry about cold weather.

Denise Wlodyka (not verified)

5 years 3 months ago

Two things:
(1) Dill & Lemon-Lime Basil are my favorite combo herbs for fish & veggies. Both come up as prolific volunteer in my garden each year which leads to....
(2) I chop and freeze my dill & lemon-lime basil on wax paper, and once frozen, quickly transfer to plastic pint containers in my freezer. It keeps it's color and flavor, and I have guaranteed "fresh" herbs from my garden all winter long. Even if it clumps together, you can chop off a piece and quickly thaw to use on fish, veggies, in breads etc... It's so much better than drying them.