How to Grow Dill

Why you direct-sow dill

Dill does best when it is sown directly in the garden, because its taproot system makes it difficult to transplant successfully. A nursery pot or a start that gets its roots disturbed tends to bolt early or sulk, so scatter seed where the plants will stay.

Sow in spring, about one to two weeks before the last frost, choosing a full-sun location with moist, well-drained soil. Tall dill can flop, so a spot sheltered from strong wind helps.

The when-to-plant-dill and dill-spacing calculators answer the timing and in-row spacing questions on their own.

Succession sowing and self-seeding

Dill's weakness is that plants decline soon after they start to flower — once it bolts, leaf production drops off. The workaround is succession: make a fresh sowing every two weeks through the growing season so a young, leafy row is always coming on.

Some cultivars help; 'Green Sleeves,' for instance, is noted as resistant to bolting and holds its foliage longer.

If you leave a few plants to flower and set seed in fall, they will drop seed that germinates in spring, so an established dill patch tends to renew itself with little effort.

Harvesting leaves and seed

Foliage can be cut at any time and used fresh or dried for later use. Snip what you need; frequent light cutting also slows flowering a little.

For dill seed, let the flowers mature — usually 2 to 3 weeks after the blossoms appear — then cut the heads as they turn tan and dry them over a cloth or bag to catch the falling seed.

Because the same plant will not give you both abundant leaf and abundant seed indefinitely, the succession approach lets you harvest leaves from young rows while older plants finish for seed.

Sources

Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.

• Illinois Extension — Dill (Herbs) — Dill performs best in full sun in moist, well-drained soil; it does best directly sown in the garden because its taproot makes it difficult to transplant successfully, sown one to two weeks before the last frost; make successive sowings every two weeks through the season because plants decline soon after they flower (bolt); dill reseeds readily and plants left in the fall drop seed that germinates in spring; foliage can be cut at any time and used fresh or dried; for seed, allow the flowers to mature usually 2-3 weeks after the blossoms appear; 'Green Sleeves' is resistant to bolting.

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