Overview

Many gardeners add the annual dill weed to their herb gardens because this delicious herb lends itself to many different savory fresh and cooked dishes. Dill is exceedingly easy to grow, and it will add a lovely spot of tall foliage wherever you plant it. You will find dill easy to care for as the growing season progresses. Before you realize, it will be time to harvest your dill.

Step 1

Prepare the growing area in the spring after the final spring frost. Cultivate the soil down to a depth of 4 inches with the garden spade. Add 1 to 2 inches of compost to the top of the soil and work this in well with the garden spade. Rake the soil smooth to finish your garden area preparation.

Step 2

Make rows for your dill plants, spaced approximately 1 to 2 feet apart. Make the row furrows 1/4-inch deep with the trowel.

Step 3

Add the dill seeds to the prepared furrows, placing them along the rows without trying to space them carefully (you will thin them later).

Step 4

Cover the dill seeds with 1/4-inch of soil. Water the newly planted dills seeds generously immediately after you plant them. Keep the soil evenly moist during the entire germination period.

Step 5

Thin the dill seedlings when they are approximately 4 inches high. Remove the weakest plants, leaving the strongest dill plants so they are spaced every 12 inches along the rows.

Step 6

Mix an all-purpose fertilizer with water according to package directions for the size of your growing area. Apply the fertilizer to the dill plants when they are 6 to 8 inches tall.

Step 7

Harvest dill leaves at any time you need them to prepare a dish. Remove as many leaves as you need with the garden shears. If you wish to continue harvesting dill leaves, do not allow the plants to bloom (clip off flowers before they open). If you allow the plants to bloom, they will quit producing leaves.

Step 8

Harvest dill seeds after the dill plants bloom. Wait until the flowers fade and turn brown and then clip off the entire seed head. Remove the seeds from the seed head by placing the seed head into a paper bag and shaking gently.