HerbsApiaceae
Dill.
Pollinator magnet
At a glance
The spec sheet.
- Direct sow / out
- Apr 15 – May
- Germ
- 7–14 days
- Days to harvest
- 55
- Spacing
- 12"
- Depth
- ¼"
- Square-foot
- 1 per square
- Qty target
- 6–8 plants for pickling + fresh use.
Plant
Direct sow — dill hates transplanting. Self-seeds enthusiastically once established.
Care
Full sun. Let a few plants flower for beneficial insects and to feed swallowtail caterpillars.
Harvest
Cut fronds anytime for pickling and cooking. Cut flower heads for dill pickles when yellow-green.
Frozen fronds; dried seed for pickling; whole dried heads for dilly beans and pickles.
Companion planting
What dill likes, and doesn’t.
Good neighbors
- Cucumbers (dill attracts predatory wasps)
- Brassicas
- Onions
- Corn
- Carrots (mature dill stunts them)
- Tomatoes (mature dill inhibits growth)
Dill flowers feed swallowtail caterpillars — leave some to be eaten. It's a host plant, not a pest.
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