How to Plant and Grow Dill

Dill's soft ferny foliage practically beg you to touch them. Snip fresh dill foliage for cooking, harvest dill seed for pickling, or cut the yellow umbels and feathery leaves for pretty homegrown flower bouquets. It's also a favorite food for black swallowtail caterpillars, and its small yellow flowers are excellent for attracting a variety of pollinators.

Dill is hardy in the winter in USDA Hardiness Zones 9-11 and is grown as an annual for summer harvests in Zones 2-8, where it may self-seed. 

Where to Plant Dill

Plant dill in a location with well-draining soil where it will receive at least 6 to 8 hours of full, direct sunlight each day. The delicate foliage adds textural interest to garden beds and borders, especially for cottage gardens. If you can, give your dill a spot where it will be protected from the wind. High winds could easily damage dill’s stalks if they are not staked.

Plant dill alongside herbs or vegetables in a traditional kitchen garden or enjoy its scented foliage in a perennial garden or in container plantings. When planting dill in an edible garden, place it near cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts. Dill is said to repel common brassicas pests like cabbage worms and loopers while attracting beneficial bugs such as ladybugs and bees.

However, don't plant dill near carrots. Dill can stunt the growth of carrots and—because they are closely related—cross-pollinate to create inferior hybrid plants. It’s also best to avoid planting dill near tomatoes. While some studies have shown that tomatoes and dill can be helpful companions when young, mature dill will likely impede the growth of your tomatoes.

How and When to Plant Dill

Dill is easy to start from seed and grows best when planted outdoors. In spring after the last frost, sow the seeds directly into the soil, placing them 1/4 inch deep and about 1 to 2 inches apart.

Plant the seeds in rows about 6 inches apart, or—if you want your dill plants to self-sow—plant them in clumps where the seeds can drop and grow the following year. If you want to keep a continual source of dill on hand, consider succession planting. Start by sowing just a few seeds from the packet first, then a few more each week during the growing season. Seeds usually germinate in 7 to 14 days. Dill can also be cultivated from nursery-grown transplants placed in the ground or a container in spring. Dill tolerates light frost, so feel free to plant it outdoors a couple of weeks before the last anticipated spring frost.

Thinning is critical to producing lush growth and preventing crowded seedlings from developing seed heads, which stops foliage production. When seedlings are 3 or 4 inches tall, reduce their numbers to just the strongest seedling every 12 to 24 inches. Some dill plants become floppy with age and size. Keep plants upright by sinking a sturdy twig or stake in the ground near the base of the plant. Use garden twine to loosely anchor the plant to the stake.

You can also start dill seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost and transplant the seedlings to the ground after the danger of frost has passed. Mature dill does not respond well to being transplanted, so position your seedlings in a spot where they can thrive.

Dill Care Tips

This fragrant plant is easy to care for, but it may need help from stakes or other plants to stay erect.

Light

Choose a location with full sun—at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day is best for dill.

Soil and Water

Plant dill in moist, well-drained soil. If your soil holds water due to heavy clay, add organic matter to the top few inches to help drainage. Plant this herb in containers or raised beds if poor soil drainage is a challenge.

Proper watering is essential for growing dill. Keep the soil evenly moist while the seeds germinate. Once dill plants start growing, they need about 1 to 2 inches of rain or additional water per week to thrive.

Temperature and Humidity

The best temperature for dill is around 70ºF, although it's cold-hardy to as low as 25ºF.

When temperatures rise, dill tends to bolt and send up flower stalks to set seeds. Once this annual herb flowers and sets seeds, it dies. Keep the plant going for an extended growing season by removing the flowers.

Fertilizer

Most herbs, including dill, don't need additional fertilizer, but you can apply a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer once or twice during the growing season. Use a liquid fertilizer mixed with water, or scratch a time-release fertilizer into the ground at planting time. For the amount to use, follow product label instructions.

Pruning

Prune dill early in the season to keep it from becoming leggy. Snip off the top leaves of the plant, which encourages lower leaves to grow more abundantly. Anything that's pruned can be used for prepping and cooking food.

Potting and Repotting

Even if you don't have an outdoor garden, you can still keep pots of dill on a sunny balcony or deck. Choose a container that is at least 12 inches deep—dill plants form a deep taproot. Clay and terra-cotta pots work well for dill because they don't retain as much moisture as plastic or glazed ceramic pots. Whatever container you choose, make sure it has excellent drainage and is large enough to keep the spacing of your plants 12 to 24 inches apart.

Dill does not take well to being transplanted, so if your plant outgrows its pot, it is best to start a new, larger container. You can continue planting seeds into the summer if your area is not excessively warm.

Pests and Problems

Dill attracts aphids and other garden pests. You may also find caterpillars called parsley worms, but be patient with those striped caterpillars munching on stems and foliage; they'll eventually become delightful black swallowtail butterflies. You may even want to grow extra dill so there's enough for both you and the caterpillars. Other beneficial insects drawn in by dill's flowers include bees, hoverflies, lacewings, and ladybugs, which start out as larvae that dine on pests, including aphids, mealybugs, and mites.

How to Propagate Dill

The best way to propagate dill is with seed. You can also propagate dill via cuttings, but this method isn't as reliable.

Seed: Because dill doesn't do well with transplanting, it's best to direct sow the seeds in early spring in a prepared garden bed at a depth of 1/4 inch. When the seedlings are 3-4 inches high, thin them to stand 12-24 inches apart.

Cuttings: To take a dill cutting, choose a stem with at least 3 to 4 inches of new growth and snip it off with shears or scissors. Set the cutting in a container of water (removing any leaves below the water line) and wait about 2 to 3 weeks for roots to grow. You do not need to use a rooting hormone or fertilizer. After the roots have grown to about 2 to 3 inches long, plant the dill in a container or the ground.

How to Harvest Dill

Fresh dill begins to droop as soon as you clip it. And while its flower umbels look beautiful in a mixed bouquet, don't be surprised if they begin to wilt after a few hours. Dill flavor begins losing potency within a couple of days, so when harvesting it for recipes, plan to use it as soon as possible.

To harvest dill seeds, cut the flower stalks after the yellow blooms have faded but just before the seeds begin to ripen and loosen from the umbel. Place a small paper bag with a few tiny holes for ventilation over the entire flower head, hang the plant upside down in a cool, dry location, wait for the seeds to fall, and gather them in the bottom of the bag. Store the seeds in an airtight glass container in a cool, dry, dark place.

Types of Dill

'Long Island Mammoth' Dill

Anethum graveolens 'Long Island Mammoth' is an old-fashioned favorite. Its fernlike leaves may be harvested for use fresh or dried for long-term storage. It grows up to 5 feet tall and bears large clusters of flat-top yellow flowers that develop into brown seed heads.

'Fernleaf' Dill

A productive dwarf variety that grows just 18 inches tall, Anethum graveolens 'Fernleaf' is an excellent choice for container gardens or compact in-ground beds. It has delicate, feathery foliage with excellent dill flavor. It blooms from midsummer into fall.

'Bouquet' Dill

The 'Bouquet' cultivar has fine bluish-green foliage on plants that grow to 30 inches tall. Its large yellow flower heads reach 6 inches in diameter, and they can be cut for fresh floral arrangements or dried as an everlasting.

Garden Plans for Dill

Classic Herb Garden Plan

Ensure your kitchen is always stocked with fresh herbs with this classic herb garden plan, where 10 kinds of herbs surround a decorative sundial in a 6-foot-diameter bed.

Colorful Herb Garden Plan

Get an herb garden that dazzles with this colorful plan, where a 3x8-foot border features foliage with purple, green, and golden hues—including variegated leaves.