Dill

Few plants smell as good to me as the dill plant.

Despite being very common in the garden, most people don’t know enough about this incredible herb!

Let’s learn a bit before this next growing season:

Plant Profile:

Scientific Name: Anethum graveolens

Preferred Habitat: Mediterranean climates, well drained soils,

Edible Parts: Seeds, leaves, flowers

Distribution: Most of Europe and the Mediterranean as well as Northern Africa.

Harvest Season: Summer until frost

Nutrition: (Per 1cup)

• Calories: 4

• Vitamin C: 8% of daily value

• Manganese: 5% of daily value

• Vitamin A: 4% of daily value

• Folate: 3% of daily value

• Iron: 3% of daily value

Health Benefits:

• Supports general heart health

• Lowers blood sugar levels

• Anticancer compounds

• Antibacterial properties

• Supports bone health

• Early evidence suggests it may help with menstrual cramps

Uses

Dill is used as a flavoring ingredient and a savory herb.

While it has some medicinal properties, dill is used almost exclusively for culinary use in the United States.

Some recipes and pairings include potato dishes, soups, pastas, cucumbers, tomatoes, salads, used with olive oil, fish, lemon, and most famously dill pickles.

In the garden, the plant acts as a great pest deterrent as well as a powerful pollinator attractant.

Growth Habits

Dill is an annual plant that in many cases reseeds itself (self-sows) easily.

Dill also does not require frequent (or really any) fertilization beyond whatever the soil holds already with very few exceptions. This makes it generally low-maintenance in my book!

I would give dill full sun so that it flowers easily and the pollination benefits are taken advantage of as soon as possible.

Additional Information

Dill tends to lose its flavor pretty quick so using it fresh as soon as possible is highly recommended.

Drying dill works, but the flavor will be a lot more mild.

Most people recommend harvesting the dill leaves until the plant flowers, but I haven’t noticed enough of a difference in quality or flavor to stop picking them once the flowers appear.

Dill seed can also be harvested and used as a spice, although I have never done this myself.

Cultivars

There are a number of dill cultivars and honestly you can’t really go wrong with any of them:

• Hera: This variety is grown for its leaves and aroma. It is slow to flower, and highly productive!

• Dukat: Another high-foliage variety with a more refined flavor and balanced “bouquet”.

• Long Island Mammoth: This is a seed variety grown for fast and high yields of dill seed.

• Elephant: An aromatic giant variety that flowers late in the season.

• Bouquet: This variety is grown specifically for the flowers which bloom early and large! Great for pickles, floral arrangements, or anything else you’d want flowers for.

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