Garden DILL

Garden Dill 
Anethum graveolens "Hera"
Organically grown seed from
Reefnet Bay Road, Shaw Island,
San Juan Archipelago, WA.

New Listing for Dill "Hera"

Scientific name: Anethum graveolens "Hera"

The common name of dill reportedly comes from the Norse word dilla meaning to lull or soothe. 

Lifecycle: Hardy annual 

USDA Hardiness Zones: 02-11

Site: Full sun, protect from wind. Shade can cause plants to flop over.

Dill attracts a number of beneficial insects to the garden: bees, wasps, butterflies, lacewings, tachinid flies, hoverflies, and lady beetles. 

Dill is a larval plant for the black swallowtail butterfly.

Sowing: Sow in situ from spring until mid-summer. Thin to 9-11" apart.

Watering: Don't let them dry out.

Maintenance: Low.

Bloom time: August to September.

Harvesting: gather leaves when young. To collect seeds after flowering heads turn brown, hang the whole plant upside down over a cloth or a paper bag underneath.

Preserving: Dry or freeze leaves. 

Notes: Early settlers took dill to North America, where it became known as "meetinghouse seed" because children were given dill seed to chew during long sermons.

Uses: Commonly grown in herb gardens, vegetable gardens, or flower borders. If grown in a pot it should be a DEEP one. 

More information may be viewed on the highly regarded Missouri Botanical Garden site.