Dill

Dill is annual and dies after seed ripening. No winter protection will save the plant itself. In autumn, leave a few umbels standing: the ripe seeds fall to the ground, get through the winter without trouble and germinate by themselves in spring. If you want to be sure, collect ripe seeds and store them dry and cool until sowing from April.

You propagate dill exclusively by direct sowing. Cuttings, division or other methods do not work, because the plant forms a delicate taproot and transplants poorly. Disturbed roots also lead to premature bolting. Sow from mid-March to the end of July directly at the final position: simply scatter the seeds on lightly loosened, moist soil and press them down only very lightly, or cover them thinly with a pinch of sand or fine soil. Dill needs light to germinate and must not be worked in deep; a whisper-thin covering protects the seeds from blowing away. At soil temperatures from about 10 °C (ideally 15 to 20 °C), the seeds germinate after around 10 to 20 days. Once the seedlings are about 5 cm tall, thin them to around 20 to 25 cm apart so that the plants grow bushy. For a continuous harvest, sow again every four weeks, and you will have fresh herb from May into October. If you let a few plants go to seed in summer, dill will settle in again by itself the following year; the seeds overwinter in the soil without trouble and often turn up in unexpected places.