How To Plant And Grow Dill
Welcome to this post that will cover all the questions about planting and growing dill. This is one of our favorite herbs to both grow and care for but also use in the kitchen. It’s such a rewarding culinary herb to use. The best thing has to be it stays around 2 years providing plenty of harvest. Given that you follow what we will talk about here when it comes to caring for it.
In this article you will be able to read about all from first sowing the seeds, to re potting, caring for it and eventually harvesting it as well. Follow along and we will together discover the magic of growing dill.
How To Grow Dill
Dill is like we said in the beginning of this article a relatively easy to grow herb. It can manage fine in conditions that would otherwise be tough for some herbs. When we want to find a good place to grow dill we need to look for a spot where it will get a lot of sun during the day. Ideally we want it to get about 6 – 8 hours when we keep it outdoors.
Once you have found this spot it’s time to sow. This is something we recommend most people do in April or May. There is no real point in doing it earlier unless you want to keep it indoors for the season. After it has been sown it will take about 4 weeks for it to be ready to come out. Then it will be a relatively small seedling.
During the time between sowing and going outdoors we need the soil to be kept relatively dap and wet at all times. This is the best possible environment for dill to grow in so it’s obvious we want to keep it this way for as long as possible. Since we are growing it indoors too, we need to get sufficient sun during the day. Indoors it differs a bit in the amount compared to having it outdoors. Now we want 10 hours instead of 6 – 8. This is one of the reasons why we want to start sowing in April or May instead. The sun is just out longer during the day this time of the year. So achieving that number is easier.
Keeping up with watering the plant during the whole season and you will be greatly rewarded with plenty of harvests. It can take on pruning and cutting very well and you don’t need to really fear overdoing it. It’s a two year herb so if you treat it well it will come back even stronger the next year.
How To Grow Dill Indoors
Growing dill indoors does differ a bit from outdoors. The biggest issue we face here is getting the plant the necessary amount of sun during the day. Indoors it will require about 10 hours of light. Compare this to just 6 – 8 hours that it would need outdoors and see the problem. But depending on the climate or the place you are living in this should really not be a problem. It if goes under one day and over the next day it’s fine. Dill is a very hardy plant that can manage some days or weeks without the necessary sun.
The only downside with that is it will grow skinnier and not as bushy perhaps. But with time it will even out.
Just like growing outdoors we want to make sure the soil is kept damp and moist all the time. Dill is also a herb that doesn like bad drainage, like most plants honestly. So we need to make sure the water is not pooling at the top. A great tip is to buy a pot where there are holes in the bottom. Now the excess water can leak out and won’t drown the roots.
Want to learn even more about growing dill indoors. In this article we specialize in doing it in pots. Find it here, Growing Dill In Pots Inside
How To Grow Dill From Seed
Growing dill from seed is about as straight forwards as it can get. It’s a very easy herb to grow at home since it’s very hard once it’s established. It does get tougher and more resitent of its growing outdoors though, something we have noticed and paid attention to recently.
We always recommend first sowing dill in either April or May. If the weather has been very rough recently then you should do it in May. You should check up on a few things before you sow. This includes looking at the soil so that no water has pooled at the top after watering.
The soil should be healthy. Unless you haven’t taken soil from your garden then it might be a good idea to use some fertilizer in it. This will give it some more life and jumpstart the growing process. After about 2 weeks you should definitely see some signs of it above the soil. The first part of growing is called the germination process. A vital part and if this doesn’t go right or even start then you won’t have a plant. More often than not, the reason this might go wrong is because the seeds are too old.
How To Grow Dill Plant
Growing a dill plant is a very rewarding process. Once you have an established plant at home it really is just a simple daily routine of checking up on it. Since dill is a herb that can manage in slightly drier soil you don’t have to stress watering it all the time. It will grow best in damp and wet soil. But letting it dry out slightly every now and again will definitely intensify the flavor of the herb.
But growing a dill plant also includes harvesting from it. If you don’t do this then your dill might grow rampant and will start to hang and wilt after the heavier stems. Just like any herb out there the best way to harvest is to take cuttings from where new growth is coming out. This will make sure that you have new ones growing out and you aren’t wasting the potential of the plant. This is a fact that we very often stress actually. It plays a huge part in the well being of your plant.
How To Grow Dill From Stem
Growing dill from the stem is just like taking cuttings. Although doing it from the stem is maybe a bit easier. Since this part will be more woody and even resilient to other forces that could harm a cutting.
When you choose a stem to propagate then you need to look at the way it’s growing. Is there a lot of new growth coming out and showing itself? Then it’s probably a very good stem to take.
You need to first prepare it before putting it in water and letting it develop roots. We recommend stripping the lowest few inches of growths and cuttings. SInce we are putting the stem in water these parts might drown and that is unnecessary stress for the stem.
Place the stem in a glass or container of water where it can stand upwards. You only need to fill it with about an inch of water. This is the best way to focus the roots at the bottom of the plant. So we can mimic the way it grows naturally from seed.
Keep the stem in water for about two weeks or until it has formed a noticeable root system. This stem can then be sown in either freeland or in a pot and kept indoors.
How Long Does It Take To Grow Dill
Dill is a very fast growing herb that shows results very quickly. After just 90 days you will be able to make the first harvest. Although it won’t be very large at this point it should stand at about 1 – 2 feet tall.
There are some timelines and moments you can look out for when growing a dill. After about 2 weeks you will be able to see the first signs of life above the surface of the soil if you have sown it from a seed. This is always one of the best moments for us when growing anything. It’s a sign that we are doing something right.
If you have sown the dill from seed then you can expect to be able to sow it on either freeland or in a new pot at about the 1 month mark. At this point it will be sturdy enough to handle it if you have followed the steps of taking care of it.
Knowing how to properly harvest dill is very important. Luckily we have you covered with this article here, How Do You Harvest Dill From Plants?
How To Grow Dill From Cuttings
Growing dill from cuttings might differ a little bit compared to what we were talking about before with growing it from a stem. These cuttings will be smaller and therefore more vulnerable after you have cut them off. But that shouldn’t hinder you from taking some.
Taking cuttings is probably the best way of propagating new plants and prolonging the dill line you have at home. Just like with the stems you want to take a cutting that has some new growths coming out of it. This indicates it’s a healthy part of the plant and ready to continue growing.
After you have chosen your cuttings you can place them in a glass of water that’s filled to about the 1 inch mark. You should also keep them on by one as they can entangle the roots with each other otherwise. Let them sit like this for about 2 weeks until you can clearly see they have developed a proper root system. Now they are ready to be transplanted to a new place and begin growing.
FAQ
Which Part Of The Dill Do You Eat?
The best part of the dill in our opinion is the small shoots that come from the stems. These are the most fragile and flavor intensify part of the herb. The stems are also very tasty but should be cut very thinly if you want to eat them raw. Another fantastic and flavorful part of the dill is the flower. Once these start appearing then you might not have a whole lot more dill growing out. So using these sprinkled on a salad or picked is amazing.
What Food Goes Well With Dill?
The most obvious choice for pairing with dill is seafood. Almost all fish go great with dill, be that either salmon or cod. Crayfish and dill is another classic that pairs beautifully.
Do Dill And Basil Go Together?
Maybe not the most classic combo ever to use, but they can complement each other very well. Basil is a bit spicy and very herbaceous and aromatic. While dill has more flowers coming through. For me it’s an underappreciated combination for sure.
