In this article, I will tell you all you need to know in order for you to successfully grow your very own dill plant in a container. I will show you how to care for it and what to look out for. Dill is an extremely easy plant to grow so don´t be intimidated, you can do it. And if you do everything right, then you will have a healthy dill plant, that will endlessly supply you with fresh leaves!
So to grow dill in a pot you need to fill a container, that is between 12 and 24 inches deep and at least 12 inches wide. The soil should be well-drained sandy or loamy with a pH of around 5.8 and 6.5. Sow the seeds directly in the soil about 1 inch deep. the seeds should germinate after 14 days.
| The best Soil for growing Dill | The best soil for growing Dill is well-drained sandy or loamy soil with a pH between 5.8 and 6.5 (so slightly acidic) |
| Pot size for growing DIll | The ideal container size for growing DIll is between 12 and 24 inches deep and at least 12 inches wide. |
| How deep should Dill Seeds be planted | The seeds for dill should be sown about 1 inch deep and about 12 inches apart from each other. |
| When to harvest Dill | Dill can be harvested 90 days after planting. Dill tastes the best if harvested before they start to bloom. |
What is Dill?
Dill is a biennial warm-season herb that grows 2-4 feet in height.
Dill has blue-green, feathery leaves that are finely cut with white and green striped hollow stems. From Summer to Autumn, small yellowish-green flowers bloom on clusters that have flat tops.
Oval, light-brown, flat seeds follow the flower blossoms.
How Much Dill Should I Plant?
Since dill reseeds itself easily, your household will always ever only need one to two dill plants.
And a small number of dill seeds will already be enough because dill will eventually spread quite fast!
Where Should I Plant Dill Seeds?
Dill plants need full sunlight.
They are tolerant of shade but will not become as bushy.
Dill is best grown in soil that is rich in organic matter and well-drained.
Before you begin planting, add some aged compost to the planting beds.
The pH level of soil that dill prefers is 5.5 to 6.7.
When Should I Plant Dill?
Dill seeds can be sown into the garden as soon as 2-3 weeks before the average last frost in the Spring.
You should plant the dill in a spot where it can grow for several years because it will reseed itself easily.
For a continual fresh harvest of dill, you may sow crops every 3-4 weeks.
If you plant dill in pots, then you don´t need to wait for the last frost as long as the pot in indoors.
How Should I Plant and Space Dill Seeds?
Dill seeds should be planted 12 inches apart and ¼ to inches deep.
Rows should be spaced 2-3 feet apart.
For best yield and growth, thin the plants out. Often times, dill grows in clumps instead of rows. Dill will form a taproot so it is not easy to transplant.
How to Grow Dill in a Pot
Pots of dill can be kept on a sunny deck or balcony even if you don’t have a garden. The container should be at least 12 inches deep because dill plants have a deep taproot.
A container that is 12-24 inches deep is ideal. The spacing should be kept 12-24 inches apart depending on the size of your container.
How Do I Water and Feed Dill?
Dill must be watered properly because it is essential for its health. While the seeds are germinating, the soil should be kept moist. The germination process can take from 7-21 days.
Dill should be watered regularly and evenly until it is established. The soil should be allowed to become almost dry until watering again, once it is established.
Planting beds should be prepared with aged compost. During the growing season, dill can be side dressed 2-3 times with compost tea.
How to Care for a Dill Plant?
It may be beneficial to stake your dill plants if your garden gets hit by wind regularly as they can grow wispy and tall.
To keep your dill upright, use some garden stakes and surround a clump of dill with interconnected strings.
Planting beds should be kept free of weeds. To prolong the growth of the leaves, flowers should be pinched out early.
What Type of Pests Does Dill Get?
Tomato hornworms, armyworms and parsley caterpillars may attack dill plants.
Pick off the pests by hand. Dill plants do not usually get other types of pests that create too much of a problem.
What Kind of Diseases Does Dill Get?
Dill plants do not get any serious diseases. So don´t worry about it. This makes the plant very easy to care for and a great beginners plant as well!
How Do You Harvest Dill?
During the growing season, fresh dill leaves should be snipped as needed. After the plants have reached at least 8 inches in height, the top 2-3 inches can be snipped off.
70 days after sowing, right before the flowers are open is when dill leaves have the best flavor.
The leaves can then be dried on nonmetallic screens in a warm place.
90 days after sowing is when dill seeds should be harvested. Before the seeds have dried fully and fallen to the grown, collect the heads of the flowers.
The flower heads can be hung upside down to dry which will make the seeds fall onto a dry, flat surface to collect.
What Types of Dill Varieties are There?
Bouquet Dill
The seeds and leaves of bouquet dill are both used for pickling and cooking. This is the most common type of dill because of its fragrance.
Long Island Mammoth
This variety of dill is wonderful for pickling and can reach up to 5 feet tall. Long Island Mammoth is also a very popular variety of dill.
Fernleaf
Fernleaf only grows to about 18 inches tall and is a common dwarf type of dill. It’s often used in flower arrangements.
Dukat
Dukat is a popular type of dill used in salads. It doesn’t grow very tall, so it does well grown in containers. It is a brighter green than other varieties of dill.
Superdukat
Superdukat dill contains more essential oil than its Dukat cousin.
Delikat
The leaves of Delikat dill are great for cooking because of its dense foliage.
Vierling
If you want to be able to harvest dill leaves throughout summer, this is a great choice as it takes longer to bolt than other types of dill.
Hercules
Hercules takes a while to flower and it has coarser leaves than other types of dill. It’s best to harvest the leaves of Hercules dill when it’s young and the leaves are tender.
How Do I Store and Preserve Dill?
Dill leaves should be used fresh and as needed. If you would like to keep them in the refrigerator, they can be stored by folding them in a damp paper towel and placed in a plastic bag for about a week.
Dill seeds that are dried naturally can be sprouted. Fresh dill leaves can be frozen. Dried dill leaves should be stored in a container that is airtight. Dill seed that is dried will stay fresh in an airtight container.
How Do I Fertilize Dill?
Dill, like most other herbs, don’t usually need any fertilizer.
However, if you are growing them in pots you should apply a 10-10-10 balanced fertilizer 1-2 times while it’s growing season.
At planting time, you may use a liquid fertilizer with water or a time-released fertilizer.
Final Words
Like I mentioned before, Dill is quite easy to grow and you can´t really do anything wrong here. As long as you water it regularly, that is.
Dill is an amazing Plant to have around and especially if you have a fresh supply at hand. So next time when you are cooking something, you can give it that extra special taste by adding some freshly cut dill leaves!
