Growing Dill: Tips at a Glance
Dill is a short-lived annual herb, known for its aromatic value in cooking and for being a little tricky to grow; keep it happy in a hot, sunny spot with moist soil and deadhead it regularly to forestall bolting.
- Type Culinary herb
- Lifespan Annual
- USDA Zones 3-11
- Water Well-drained soil
- Light Full sun
- How to Plant Sow seeds
- Growing Tip Snip frequently
- Companions Kale, cucumbers
- Peak Season Summer
Dill: A Field Guide
Dill is an aromatic culinary herb with feathery leaves that can’t help but add ornamental value as well to an edible garden. Don’t try to grow dill indoors; it needs full sun, well-drained soil, and hot weather.
In addition to being a delicious and versatile spice for potatoes, fish, beets, and cucumbers (the list of dills’ companion foods could go on forever), Anethum graveolens is a useful pest repellent in a vegetable garden (aphids and spider mites can’t stand to be near it). Tip: For more herbs that ward off insects, see Mosquito Repellent: 5 Flowers and Herbs to Keep Pests Away.
Easy to start from seed, dill will attract butterflies (it’s a good food source for caterpillars) and if it bolts, add its ferny fronds to a bouquet of wildflowers.