Dill Weed Plants With Tiny Yellow Flowers
dill1
(Image credit: Liudmyla Liudmyla)

Dill is a popular herb in the kitchen, flavoring everything from pickles to fish. Gourmets know that you can't beat fresh dill for the flavor. The best way to have the very freshest dill possible is by growing dill in your own garden. Let's look at how to grow dill.

Planting Dill Seed

The best way how to grow dill is directly from seeds rather than from a transplant. Planting dill seed is easy. Dill planting is simply done by scattering the seeds in the desired location after the last frost, then lightly cover the seeds with soil. Water the area thoroughly.

Care of Dill Weed Plants

Growing dill plants and caring for dill plants is also very easy. Dill weed plants grow best in full sun. Other than this, dill will grow happily in both poor and rich soil or in damp or dry conditions.

Harvesting Dill Weed Plants

One of the benefits of growing dill is that both the leaves and seeds of dill weed plants are edible. To harvest the dill leaves, regularly trim off the desired amount of leaves you need for cooking. If you wish to harvest dill seeds, allow the plant to grow without trimming until it goes into bloom. Once dill weed plants go into bloom, they'll stop growing leaves, so make sure that you don't harvest any leaves from that plant. The dill flower will fade and will develop the seed pods. When the seed pods have turned brown, cut the whole flower head off and place in a paper bag. Gently shake the bag. The seeds will fall out of the flower head and seed pods and you'll be able to separate the seeds from the waste. There are many recipes that use dill. Planting this herb in your garden will keep plenty of fresh dill on hand for all of these recipes. Now that you know how to grow dill, you have no reason not to be planting dill seed out this year.

Heather Rhoades
Founder of Gardening Know How

Heather Rhoades founded Gardening Know How in 2007. She holds degrees from Cleveland State University and Northern Kentucky University. She is an avid gardener with a passion for community, and is a recipient of the Master Gardeners of Ohio Lifetime Achievement Award.