Peony Place

Herb Lesson -- Dill

Dill is a hardy annual, a native of the Mediterranean region and Southern Russia.  Dill is mentioned in the Bible: Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.  (Matt. 23:23 In the Middle Ages dill was used in magic spells and to ward off witches.

Dill is quite easy to propagate.  Sow seeds in the spring. If you live where there are no hard frosts, you can sow dill in the fall and winter.  They enjoy germinating in cool weather and will do well.  They germinate readily and grow quickly to heights of up to three feet. Dill also does well grown in pots, just make sure the pots are deep as dill likes to grow deep roots. Also, sow seeds close together--dill tends to fall over when it gets tall and sowing seeds close helps the plants to hold each other up.

Dill leaves are used in many recipes today, including tuna salads, in sauces, and to flavor pickles. Dill seeds are easy to harvest, but  you must be careful when collecting as they tend to fall easily to the ground. Harvest when the seed heads are brown, and then cut the whole plant down.