How to grow Dill in the UK
Feathery, aniseed-y leaves - and its flowers bring hoverflies that eat greenfly.
- DifficultyEasy peasy
- WhereBeds or Pots
- Grows to90cm
- Spacing20cm
- Time to first pickabout 8 weeks
When to sow, plant and harvest dill
| Sow outdoors | mid April to mid July |
|---|---|
| Pick | mid June to late September |
Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.
Sowing it outdoors
- Pull out any weeds and rake the top of your bed until it's crumbly, like cake crumbs
- Make a little line in the soil (1cm deep) with your finger or a stick
- Drop the seeds in, about 20cm apart in the row, with rows 30cm apart
- Gently cover them with soil and pat it down
- Water with a watering can that has a sprinkler head
- Push in a label so you remember what's there
Top tips for growing dill
- Sow it where it's to grow - it hates being moved.
- Keep it away from fennel.
Soil and feeding
Poor, free-draining soil - they don't like it too rich. Most herbs like it quite poor and sunny. Too much food makes them floppy and less tasty.
Pests and problems
- Slugs & snails: munch seedlings overnight, worst in wet weather
- Protect seedlings from slugs
Harvesting and eating dill
Snip the feathery leaves as you need them.
How to eat them: Lovely with fish, potatoes, eggs and in yoghurt dips.
Storing dill
Keeps about 1 week.
- Wrap in damp kitchen paper in the fridge
Chop and freeze in ice-cube trays with a little water or oil - drop a cube into cooking.
Good varieties of dill
- Bouquet: Lots of leaves and big flower heads.
Companion planting
Grows well with
- Kale: its flowers bring hoverflies and tiny wasps that eat greenfly and caterpillars
- Purple sprouting broccoli: its flowers bring hoverflies and tiny wasps that eat greenfly and caterpillars
- Salad leaves: brings hoverflies that eat greenfly
- Cucumbers: brings hoverflies and bees
Saving your own dill seed
Summer, once a plant has flowered and the seed heads have dried.
- Leave one or two of the best plants to flower (this is called 'bolting') - don't pick them
- When the flower heads turn brown and dry, cut them on a dry day
- Hold them upside down in a paper bag and shake - the seeds fall out
- Pick out the bits of stalk and leave the seeds to dry for a week
Where to buy dill seeds
Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon
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Dill questions
When should I sow dill in the UK?
In the UK, sow dill outdoors from mid April to mid July. These dates suit central England; sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland and up to two weeks earlier in the mild south and south west.
When can I pick dill?
Dill is ready from mid June to late September. Snip the feathery leaves as you need them.
How long do dill take to grow?
Roughly 8 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.
Are dill easy to grow?
Dill are rated 'easy peasy' for beginners, and can be grown in the ground or a raised bed or in pots and containers.
Plan your own garden: it tells you what to do and when, for your postcode.
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