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Growing Dill



Dill - Anethum graveolens - is a member of the carrot family and the name comes from the old Norse "dilla" which means "to lull".

This in turn came from the use of the plant as a sedative tea for insomnia and digestive problems.

Witches


The middle ages saw it used as a warding-off plant for witches (which may account for the total absence of witches around my garden) and in our times, the oil is used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and liqueurs.

Dill - More Than Pickles


Dill is a good plant for more than pickles. It attracts beneficial insects such as bees, parasitic wasps (that eat other insects) and tachnid flies (that eat other insects). Planted in an orchard or around fruit trees, it attracts insects that control codling moth and tent caterpillars. This is one beneficial plant for your garden.

It also looks pretty good with its ferny foliage mixed into the flowerbed amongst tall asters and zinnias.

There are ornamental forms available in seed catalogues now that are a bit shorter at 2 to 3 feet than the regular old-fashioned form at 3 to 5 feet. These ornamental forms can also be used in the kitchen but before you harvest, they add zest to the eye as well as the pot.

Planting


This plant is so easy to grow it almost doesn’t need describing. Plant it in the full sun where it can get its full share of energy. It will tolerate a bit of shade and still grow well but it definitely does best in the sun. Do not heavily fertilize this plant or it grows to a rank monster with few seed heads. A shovel of compost for every 3 feet of row is quite sufficient for its needs for the whole summer. It does like to be watered regularly so applying an inch of water a week is a good idea.

There is no need to purchase started plants from a nursery. This plant starts so easily from seed in your garden it is almost criminal to sell them in started packs. Firm the garden soil where you are going to plant and then, with a stick or small tool, draw a shallow line in the soil only one quarter to one half inches deep. Sprinkle the seeds into this shallow trench so the seeds are a few inches apart and cover with soil. Water the row; use warm water if possible for better germination. The seeds should sprout within 10 to 14 days. If you do purchase started plants, transplant them on an overcast day or in the late afternoon so they don’t have to undergo the blasting heat of the sun on their first few hours in the garden.

Container


The dwarf forms of dill grow quite well in containers so if you are apartment-bound, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t have fresh dill. Combine the dill with other plants such as basil, parsley, oregano and thyme to make it a truly useful container. Containers should be fed weekly with a regular houseplant food to keep them growing strongly all summer long.

Problems


The only problem you’ll likely encounter on your dill is the odd tomato hornworm or parsleyworm. You can simply handpick these large caterpillars to preserve your dill. The tomato hornworm is the big green caterpillar with sloping white stripes and a black horn projecting from its rear you can kill this guy. The parsleyworm is another 2 inch long caterpillar with two orange horns on the front, and a dark green and white-spotted band around the yellowish segments. He hatches out into a Black Swallowtail butterfly so if you want to save the butterfly you have to move the caterpillar to some nearby weeds such as Queen Anne’s Lace. (They also like parsnip so you can sacrifice the parsnip for the dill.)

Harvest the dill leaves just before the flowers start to form. If you pick them early in the morning, they will have a better taste and store better than if you pick later in the day. Seed can be harvested if you allow the plant to set flowers and mature the seed. Normally, you cut the seedhead between 2 and 3 weeks after flowering started to obtain the most seeds. If you hang the florets upside down in a paper bag, the seeds will ripen and fall into the bag when they are ripe.

Varieties


Seed catalogues normally offer these varieties:

‘Fernleaf’ - we’ve grown it since it won an All America Selection award in 1992. It’s a short form ? only reaching 18 inches so it doesn’t need staking and is perfect in containers. It’s slow to bolt to seed so it makes an excellent leaf harvest dill.
‘Dukat’ is another foliage type dill (it’s also sold under the name ‘Tetra’). Don’t sow this one before the ground has truly warmed up or you’ll kill the tender seed. This is a favourite of seed starters for pack sales.
‘Bouquet’ is a variety that is sometimes seen in herb catalogues. It has huge seedheads and a darker green foliage. The large seedheads make it ideal for pickling purposes.
‘Mammoth’ dill is the variety you’ll see in almost all seed racks. It’s the tall, old-reliable dill plant you use for just about every purpose in the garden.

I may have to try some dill pickles this fall if I can fight the kid’s elbows when the jars get opened.








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