Dill has been known since ancient times, when it was used for medicinal and spice purposes. This is how growing dill goes in the home garden.
Dill (Anethum graveolens) is an annual herb with a strong smell and taste that has many uses.
It is especially used to season fish dishes and pickled cucumbers. Summer’s new potatoes are boiled until they are tasty in water seasoned with dill.
Dill needs light but not roasting
Dill is one of the most common herbs in the vegetable garden, which is easy to grow in the right place. It thrives best in a semi-shady place of growth and in humus-rich soil.
The soil must not be completely dry, nor must it be wet. When roasting, the soil dries out quickly, causing the dill to turn yellow.
Base-fertilize the soil in the spring with a nitrogen-rich vegetable garden fertilizer, such as chicken poop pellets. Lime the soil every few years.
Water in summer during germination and when the leaf crop is forming.
Dill grows in about a month from sowing to harvest height, i.e. about 20 centimeters.
The leaf crop is harvested either by cutting the seedling with scissors or by picking leaves here and there with your fingers.
Depending on the variety and growing conditions, dill blooms 2–3 months after sowing.
Flowers are collected when they have formed. The seeds are only harvested when they are ripe, just before sowing.
Growing dill in a vegetable garden or in a grow box
The earliest sowing can be done in the vegetable garden or in the cultivation box already in April-May, when the surface soil has melted.
Dill germinates even in cold soil, but germination speeds up in warm soil.
A suitable sowing depth is 2–3 centimeters.
When grown as leaf dill, sowing can be dense, but crown dills are sown less frequently. Crown dills bloom better if the sprouted seedlings are allowed to grow every 5-10 cm.
Germination time varies, depending on sowing time and temperature, from a week to more than two weeks. The growth gauze speeds up germination and protects early sowings from spring frost.
In order to have young dill leaves available all the time, it is recommended to renew the sowing every two or three weeks between May and July.
Growing dill in a pot
Dill can be grown in balcony boxes, flower pots or other containers.
The seeds are sown in pots already in April or about a month before the intended planting. The seed pots are kept at room temperature so that germination is hasty.
Seedlings are acclimated to the open air, i.e. they are potted already in May. They can be planted outside around the turn of May-June, depending on the place of growth and the results of the spring. New seedlings can be planted throughout the summer.
Pre-cultivation of dill speeds up the harvest
Seedlings can be pre-grown regardless of the place of growth. The sowing time is April-May or about a month before the intended planting.
Dills can be pre-grown in 10–12 centimeter pots and planted outside as seedlings in May.
When planting dill seedlings or potted herbs purchased from the vegetable counter, be prepared to water during the rooting period.
Shade the seedlings with cheesecloth or newspaper if the weather is sunny at the time of planting. Leafy seedlings are sensitive to sun exposure.
Change the place where dill grows every year
Dill is usually a healthy plant, but it cannot be grown in the same place for a long time. It is sensitive to soil-borne plant diseases.
The soil in containers can be changed annually and recycled for other plants. In vegetable land, the solution is crop rotation.
It is advisable to change the place of growth so that dill or other flowering plants, such as parsley, carrot, coriander, cumin, celery or parsnip, are not grown in the same place for 2-3 years.
Different varieties of dill have been developed for different uses
Varieties that produce especially leaf crops and bloom late are called leaf dills. Young shoots and leaves are harvested from a leafy plant.
Early flowering varieties are called crown tillers, which are mainly used for flowers and seeds.
- Mammuts, dill
- Dukat, dill
- Como, crown dill
- Super Dukat, crown bill
- “Normal”, general account
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Store dill for the winter
Dill can be used fresh, dried or frozen. Dry the tili in small bundles in an airy space or freeze in small batches. Frozen dill preserves the aromas best.
Crown dill is used fresh, but the extra seeds can be collected when ripe. Dry them, put in a paper bag and keep in a dry place. Use the seeds as a seasoning for dishes or sow in spring.
Source: kotiliesi.fi
