When and how to plant dill correctly. Growing and care in open ground. Land for planting in open ground

Usually dill is planted in the spring, but some gardeners prefer to sow dill before winter to get an early harvest. More on the features of the process and varieties suitable for autumn sowing.

Zoning

Dill is such an undemanding plant that it grows in different climate zones. The harvest is obtained both in the north and in the south. However, in order for dill to sprout, it is necessary to adhere to the autumn sowing dates by region:

for the Urals - the end of October;
for Siberia - the second half of October;
for Moscow and the Moscow region - the first days of November;
for the southern regions - mid-November and later.

Variety selection

Early varieties are suitable for planting seeds in the fall; they will produce young greenery 2 weeks earlier than plants sown in spring.

Varieties suitable for winter sowing:

Aurora- only 20-25 days pass from sowing to harvesting tender greens. The leaves have a rich aroma.
Gribovsky- the variety is the least demanding on temperature conditions. 30-38 days after emergence, dark green foliage with a bluish tint is picked.
Grenadier- greens are removed after 30-35 days. The variety is unpretentious with green foliage and fairly large segments.
Early miracle- cuts when it reaches a height of 20-30 cm, that is, 30-35 days after emergence. The variety is resistant to low and high temperatures, as well as to most diseases.
Vologda lace- the harvest is harvested on the 40-45th day after planting the seeds. This is a cold-resistant variety, tolerates temperature “anomalies” well and is resistant to stemming.

variety Aurora

variety Gribovsky

Grenadier variety

variety Early miracle

variety Vologda lace

However, if they want to receive fresh greens all the time, then they plant mid- and late-ripening varieties:

Amazon- a medium-ripening variety. Juicy and fragrant greens are cut on the 50-55th day. The culture is undemanding to soil and climate.
Umbrella- mid-season variety, harvested on the 34-37th day. The plant tolerates adverse weather conditions well and is resistant to diseases and pests.
Firework- the harvest is harvested after 55-60 days. A special feature of this variety is that its leaves do not turn yellow and it practically does not bolt. Therefore, the harvest is harvested in 2-3 doses.
Boreas- late-ripening variety. The plant is tall, can reach a height of up to 140 cm. The leaves of this crop almost never turn yellow. Greens are harvested 45-55 days after germination.
Anna- a mid-season variety with very fragrant greenery, which is harvested after 42-52 days.
Alligator- mid-late bush variety, greenery harvest occurs in 42-45 days. This low plant does not throw out umbrellas for a long time, so the harvest from it is several times greater than from ordinary varieties.
Brawler- bush variety with late ripening. Greens are cut 60-75 days after sowing the seeds. The plant is powerful, so for 1 sq. m leave no more than 30 bushes. The leaves are dark green with a bluish tint and covered with a noticeable waxy coating.

Amazon variety

Variety Umbrella

Variety Salute

Borei variety

variety Anna

Alligator variety

variety Buyan

When to plant dill?

For good growth, dill needs 10-14 hours of daylight. If it is less, the plant will slow down its growth and development. Therefore, it is sown in the fall, just at a time when daylight hours have decreased significantly.

Depending on climatic conditions, it is sown from the twentieth of October to mid-November. This is a “blurry” period and when planting, the gardener should focus primarily on the ambient temperature.

Since dill seeds begin to germinate at +3°C, it is planted when the temperature does not rise above this indicator, that is, the seeds are sown in the ground at a daytime temperature of 0...+3°C and a night temperature of -3...-2°C, so that prevent their germination.

They will also find out in advance whether weather forecasters are predicting warming or not. If the seeds germinate, then with further cooling the entire crop will die.

Selecting a location

For the beds, choose a sunny place, slight shading is allowed, with light soil. Dill does not like shade or excess moisture in the soil. This negatively affects the yield and the content of essential oils in plants.

The best predecessors of dill are tomatoes, legumes, potatoes and cabbage. But they don’t plant it after carrots and celery. It is not recommended to plant it next to fennel. They cross-pollinate with each other, and as a result, the taste of both crops changes.

Dill prefers to grow in neutral soils. On acidic soils its greenery turns yellow, on alkaline soils it acquires a reddish tint.

Preparing the beds

Having decided on a location, the beds are dug up and cleared of weeds. If necessary, apply organic fertilizers - 5 kg per 1 sq. m. m. Dill has the ability to accumulate nitrates, so you should not be zealous and apply more than the required dose. If the site was fertilized with manure in a timely manner, then fertilizers are not applied.

Landing

When planting seeds before winter, their consumption increases by 25%. Seeds are sown dry in moist soil. Additional preparation of seed material is not required, since gardeners in this case are not interested in its rapid germination.

Planting methods:

Fan. The seeds are scattered over the garden bed in a fan pattern; in this case, rows are not needed.
Tape. Seeds are sown in rows. The distance between them depends on the variety - the more powerful and longer the plant, the greater the distance between them.

But, no matter what method is used, the seeding depth will be 3-3.5 cm. This is 1-1.5 cm deeper than during spring planting and is necessary in order to prevent them from freezing. After planting, the beds are mulched. This avoids the formation of a hard crust on the soil surface and rotting of the seeds.

Adhere to the following landing algorithm:

choice of location;
land preparation - digging, loosening, fertilizing, leveling;
sowing;
seed placement;
mulching the soil with hay or sawdust.

An experienced summer resident will share the rules for sowing dill before winter in the video below:

Dill is an aromatic spice, without which spring salads and summer preserves are indispensable. A culture with a high content of essential oils gives dishes a piquant taste. Many vitamins and minerals from green leaves support human health. Every experienced gardener knows how to grow dill on his plot, and beginners will benefit from tips on planting and caring for herbs.

Methods of growing dill

Dill is rightfully considered the most popular flavoring seasoning. It is grown in the garden, in the greenhouse and on the windowsill. What do greens like? Dill needs a lot of light, fertile soil rich in organic matter and a sufficient amount of moisture. The plant tolerates low temperatures, even temporary frosts. How to grow good dill? If greens are a priority, the garden bed must be watered on time. Succulent leaves require a lot of moisture. When growing crops for seeds, irrigation can be reduced. On dry soil, the formation of stems and inflorescences occurs earlier.

How to plant spices correctly - by seeds or through seedlings? The main method is sowing with seeds. The crop can be planted from early spring to late summer. An early harvest is obtained by sowing before winter. In open ground, the crop is planted from April to May. Bush varieties, characterized by late ripening, do not have time to produce seeds. The use of the seedling method allows you to speed up the process. The seedlings are grown at home.

Pre-soaked seeds are sown in a container with loose soil mixed with humus. The depth of the furrows is about 1-1.5 cm. The soil is well moistened. The sowing is covered with film and left in a warm place for germination. Sprouts appear after 10-12 days. The film is removed and the container is placed in a bright place. After 3-4 weeks, the dill is picked and planted in 200 ml cups. When 4-5 leaves appear, they are transplanted into the ground. The distance between plants is 15-20 cm.

Growing and care in open ground

An annual crop of the umbrella family grows in almost every country house. In a separate bed or along the main plantings, dill umbrellas stretch towards the sun. For greenery, it is advisable to choose a bright area with loose soil that easily allows moisture to pass through. The best option is a garden bed after cucumbers or cabbage, fertilized with humus and manure. Thanks to breeders, gardeners can choose spicy herbs based on ripening time, number of leaves, their color and aroma. All varieties are divided into 3 main groups:

Early ones - “Gribovsky”, “Grenadier”, “Aurora”. If you want to quickly get greens and umbrellas for preservation, plant early-ripening varieties.
Medium - “Alligator”, “Amazon”, “Rime”, “Buyan”. Plants with high yields can be used for fresh cooking and as a spice. The varieties are intended for open and closed ground.
Later ones - “Borey”, “Buyan”, “Salute”. The rosette takes a long time to develop, but the greenery can be cut several times. Umbrellas appear late, at the end of summer.

Landing Features

Dill seeds contain a large amount of oils. This property makes them a valuable medicinal raw material and an aromatic spice, but interferes with germination. Before sowing, the material is soaked for 2-3 days, changing the water. The procedure allows you to wash out some of the essential oil from the seeds. After soaking, they are dried to be sown in bulk.

Advice. An express method for speeding up germination is soaking for 2-3 minutes in hot water (60°) or 15 minutes in vodka.

Furrows 1.5-2 cm deep and 5 cm wide are prepared for the seeds. They are watered generously. Dill is evenly distributed over the furrow and covered with soil. It is not recommended to water from above; the water will sink the seeds and it will be more difficult for the sprouts to break through. Farmers are advised to cover the crops with film; it will save moisture and protect from low temperatures. With the appearance of the first shoots, the film is removed.

Advice. Until the greens have sprouted, a crust forms on the surface. Loosen it with a rake so that it does not interfere with the emergence of seedlings.

Care

Herbs need watering 1-2 times a week. For irrigation, a watering can or hose with a sprinkler is used. At first, it is important to remove weeds that clog the sprouts. When the greenery grows to 10 cm, it is thinned out. Pulled dill is used for food. It is recommended to feed weak and sparse seedlings with mullein solution (1:10) or ammonium nitrate (25 g per 10 liters of water). Greens are often planted among other vegetables. It is not advisable to sow it with potatoes. When treating bushes against the Colorado potato beetle, pesticides will poison the dill.

After precipitation and watering, a crust forms on the soil; loosening is necessary. The procedure will ensure normal air exchange and get rid of weeds. It is advisable to mulch the bed with humus or peat. The surface will not dry out or harden. Varietal dill has strong immunity, but if the rules of agricultural technology are violated, it is affected by diseases. Due to the short growing season, chemicals cannot be used for treatment. Greens are saved by folk recipes.

All the nuances of sowing work are in the article.

Growing dill in a greenhouse

The construction of a greenhouse allows you to get an early harvest of vegetables and herbs. Dill can be grown for personal use and for sale. The culture is undemanding and grows at an average temperature of 15-17°. In a solid structure with heating, greens are grown all year round. It is most in demand during the cold season. What is needed to grow dill:

Loose, fertile, neutral soil.
An early or mid-season variety of dill that will produce a large number of leaves.
Heat, lighting, watering.

Growing technology

Before planting, the soil is fertilized with humus, ammonium nitrate, superphosphates and potassium salt. To quickly obtain a harvest, pre-soaked and germinated seeds are taken for sowing. Grooves 2 cm deep are prepared under them, at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other. In winter, daylight hours are short, so the installation of lamps will be necessary. In order to save money, it is recommended to use LED lamps that consume a minimum amount of electricity.

It takes about a week before the first shoots appear. Caring for plants consists of loosening the rows, weeding, and regular irrigation. Watering the greens is done with warm water. The air temperature should not be allowed to drop below 5-8°. Cold negatively affects the appearance of dill and can lead to illness. The planting is thinned out when it grows to a height of 5-10 cm. With proper care, bush varieties of dill grow up to 2.5 m in the greenhouse. To keep the greenery conveyor from stopping, new dill is sown every 15 days. The yield of bush varieties is 1.8-4 kg/m2 for greens, 2.9-6.7 kg/m2 for spices.

Diseases and pests can pose a threat to the crop. For preventive purposes, when planting, use only treated seeds, do not thicken the rows. The temperature in the greenhouse should be on average 17°, humidity 55%. Ventilate the structure more often.

Read about other ways to get greens in the article.

Why doesn't dill grow?

For most gardeners, dill grows abundantly, reproducing by self-sowing, and in some areas it does not even sprout. The reasons for the failures should be sought in the composition of the soil and violation of agricultural cultivation techniques. The main factors for poor green growth:

Acidic soil

Umbrella crops prefer neutral soil with a pH level of 6.5-7. Increased acidity of the soil delays the germination of dill seeds and the growth of seedlings. The crop does not absorb many microelements and experiences nutritional deficiencies. To reduce acidity, dolomite flour, lime or wood ash are added to the soil. It is advisable to apply deoxidizing agents in the fall when preparing the beds.

Greens grow poorly in heavy, dense soils. In this case, the lack of air affects. Before sowing, it is advisable to improve the structure of the soil by adding peat, sand, and compost.

Advice. The type of soil will help determine horsetail; the grass grows in areas with high acidity.

Wrong location

Dill absolutely does not tolerate shade; it grows stunted, the stem becomes elongated, and the leaves turn yellow. For greenery, you need to find a well-lit place. Requires 12-14 hours of daylight. Don't count on a bountiful harvest under the canopy of a tree. The location may turn out to be unlucky because of its neighbors. Not all vegetables are compatible with each other. It is not recommended to plant herbs next to tomatoes, carrots and basil.

Lack of watering

Improper care is a common cause of poor harvest. Spicy greens are a moisture-loving plant; with a lack of watering, the leaves curl and turn yellow. In hot summer weather, it is recommended to irrigate the greens 2-3 times a week.

Poor quality seeds

The germination rate of dill seeds is 55-60%, and if stored improperly it becomes even less. Greens do not sprout if the planting material is damp and moldy. The reason for low germination may be unripe or poorly dried fruits. The shelf life of seeds is 2-4 years; it is better not to use old material. Dill takes a long time to germinate in dry soil or excessively deep soil. In order for seedlings to appear in 7-14 days, it is necessary to soak the seeds for 2-3 days, water the furrows, and plant the crop to a depth of no more than 2 cm.

Nutrient deficiency

The dense green foliage of dill pleases gardeners, but it does not grow on poor soil. In order for the greens to grow juicy and aromatic, it is necessary to fertilize the garden bed in the fall. Humus and compost are added to the soil, the recommended rate is 5 kg per square meter. m. In addition to organic matter, the garden needs minerals: urea, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. They are added during autumn preparation or spring cultivation. On poor soil, plants are fed during the growing season. Full information on fertilizing is in the article.

Advice. When growing dill at home, the crop often does not grow due to lack of light. It is necessary to organize additional lighting in advance by installing fluorescent lamps.

Experienced gardeners have noticed that greens planted before winter grow and develop better. The seeds undergo natural stratification, are hardened, and increase immunity. The shoots of this dill are friendly, the foliage is thick and juicy.

When to harvest dill

The time for cutting dill depends on its timing and purpose. Early varieties are ready to produce the first greens from the garden in 33-35 days. After this they begin the flowering phase. Spicy umbrellas are left for seeds. They are indispensable for preserving cucumbers, zucchini and tomatoes. The seeds are collected for planting, as well as for use in cooking and medicinal purposes. The stems of the plant are pulled out by the roots; the annual crop will not sprout next year.

Advice. Ripe fruits fall off easily, so they are collected in advance and dried in the shade. To avoid losing the seeds, put paper bags on the umbrellas.

Mid-season varieties “Kibray”, “Richelieu”, “Abundant Leaved”, “Borey” are universal crops. The bush form of plants allows you to collect green leaves in large quantities and over a long period. Cutting begins a week later than early dill. By this time, the rosette has grown to 15-25 cm. The leaves are collected starting from the lower ones. It is better to cut off the lateral petioles without affecting the growth points from which new leaves will appear. It is recommended to choose cool weather for harvesting greens.

Advice. Leave a few plants for seed. During the season, do not pick off their leaves, then the fruits will be strong and healthy.

How to harvest dill correctly - uproot or cut off the leaves? Ordinary plants immediately give an umbrella, so they are pulled out. Late-ripening bush forms are distinguished by their ability to produce several harvests of leaves. They are carefully cut with sharp scissors. How to collect herbs for spices? It is pulled out of the ground, the roots are cut off, and the stems are tied into sheaves. In this form they dry for a week. Ripe seeds are threshed and stored in a closed container.

Methods for storing greens

Fresh dill quickly loses its presentation. Placing the leaves in plastic bags allows you to preserve the juiciness, aroma and rich color for a long time. The greens are placed dry; you can put whole bunches or cut them. It can be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of 1-2° for up to two weeks.

There are several methods for winter storage of dill:

drying;
pickling;
freezing.

The leaves are taken for drying, cutting off the thick stems. Small bunches are made from them and hung in the shade. The second method is to finely chop the plants and place them on an oven tray. Drying occurs at a temperature of 35-40°, the door remains slightly open. It will take 2-4 hours. It is convenient to prepare greens in a special electric dryer.

Information. If the dill is easily rubbed between your fingers, it means it is sufficiently dried.

Fragrant dill retains its qualities and beneficial substances well when pickled. The greens are finely chopped and placed in sterilized jars, sprinkled with salt. You will need 1 kg of salt per 1 kg of dill. The greens are compacted tightly and covered with lids. Banks are stored in a cool place.

Freezing is one of the simplest methods. Spicy herbs are placed in plastic bags of 100-200 g, wrapped and placed in the freezer. When quickly frozen, the bulk of the vitamins are preserved. It takes a little longer to prepare ice cubes with herbs. The spice is finely chopped and placed in molds. Pour water and put it in the freezer. Green cubes are thrown into the pan when preparing first courses.

Dill grown on your own plot will be a wonderful addition to your favorite dishes.

Dill greens can be grown year round for sale and used as a seasoning for dishes. To do this, you need to properly prepare the sowing site and select the seeds. You can prevent the appearance of pests if you comply with certain growing conditions. They get lush greenery by maintaining the watering regime, room temperature and lighting. Pesticides should not be used when caring for the crop, as it accumulates nitrates harmful to the body.

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Features of cultivation

Dill produces a harvest after a forty-day growing season. It is sown several times per season.

The main advantage of greens is their cold resistance. The culture germinates at +3 degrees. Adult sprouts feel comfortable at +15...+18, but can also withstand temperatures of +8 degrees Celsius.

Dill is grown mainly for its greens; umbrellas are used in pickles and marinades. Seeds ripen when the day length is at least 12 hours. Growing greens is not difficult. It can reproduce by self-seeding and dominates among other crops, suppressing their development. Therefore, dill should be planted separately.

Preparing the landing site

When sowing dill, you need to pay attention to pre-planting work. It is preferable to grow greens in open ground. For this, beds are prepared.

The culture loves light, so choose sunny areas. The plant is unpretentious, but it will not grow luxuriantly in the shade or in unbalanced soil.

Advantages of open ground:

unlimited space;
more healthy vitamins;
ease of care and harvesting.

However, this method also has disadvantages:

short growing season;
dependence on weather conditions.

Growing in a greenhouse

When sowing in a stationary greenhouse made of polycarbonate and glass, the choice will be limited by the design of the structure and the area.

The advantages of such a landing:

getting an early harvest;
duration of cultivation;
protection from negative weather conditions.

Disadvantages of greenhouse cultivation:

lack of sprinkling irrigation;
limited space;
shading of dill due to proximity to other tall crops.

In room

You can grow greens indoors all year round, but this requires additional lighting and temperature control in the winter.

The advantages of this method:

year-round harvest;
culture is constantly under surveillance.

Minuses:

lack of vitamins, constant feeding is necessary;
higher care requirements;
plantings take up space indoors.

A high-quality harvest can only be obtained when grown in open ground; home-grown crops are worse. Under the sky there is less labor involved. Vitamin-rich and aromatic dill grows in the beds. To get an early harvest, you can make transparent covers on the bed, installed after the snow melts, or clear the area without waiting for it to melt.

Landing dates

In the fall, dill seeds are sown later, before frost sets in, so that they do not have time to germinate. The beds are prepared in advance by digging and loosening the soil. If fertilizing has been applied in the spring, then the soil does not need to be fertilized in the fall. Cut grooves before the onset of cold weather. After the first frost, sow the seeds, sprinkle them with soil and lightly compact them. In central Russia, planting should take place no earlier than the end of October.

In the spring, they are sown in open ground as soon as the soil for dill warms up to +10 degrees. Typically this period occurs in mid-April or early May. You can apply black film to warm the soil for early sowing. To do this, cover the bed freed from snow with plastic film. Dill is sown when the soil is ready.

When growing in an apartment, you can plant the plant at any time of the year. It is necessary to prepare a special place with lighting, since there is not enough sunlight in the house, without which the seedlings will turn yellow. If this is not possible, sowing dates are postponed until March.

Sowing methods

Usually the crop is planted by direct sowing into the soil; it is rarely grown by seedlings. The second method allows you to get more harvest, reduces seed consumption, since thinning is necessary, and the time for greenery to appear is 2-3 weeks.

The disadvantages of seedling cultivation include:

increase in labor costs;
poor plant quality - thick stems, small leaves.

The seedlings ripen in 30-35 days, then they are transplanted into a greenhouse or open ground. There should be a few true leaves at this point.

When replanting, you should pay attention to the integrity of the earthen ball in order to preserve the root part. Umbrella roots are difficult to recover. To avoid damaging the system, you can grow seedlings in tablets or paper bags. Such specimens are planted in the ground without removing the base.

Priming

To obtain fragrant and bright greens, you need slightly acidic or neutral soil. It should be loose and contain a high content of useful microelements.

Compost or fresh manure should not be added before sowing. The best precursors for greens are cabbage and cucumbers, since their cultivation uses a lot of organic matter, which is enough for subsequent crops.

Dill accumulates nitrates, so you should not feed it with mineral fertilizers. Nitrogen agents are completely excluded.

The watering regime must be observed. The plant does not like stagnant moisture. From its excess, dill greens turn yellow and wither.

Seed preparation

Soaking of seeds also depends on the timing of sowing. In autumn and spring, if the ground is not warmed up, dry material is used.

In summer, when sowing late and when growing seedlings and greenhouses, the seeds should be soaked in warm water for 2 days. Change the fluid a couple of times a day. If the planting material has managed to hatch, it is immediately planted in the ground.

Landing

Prepare furrows 2 cm deep. The distance between the rows is about 15-20 cm. If planted to obtain seeds, then maintain a row spacing of 40 cm. Make furrows along or across the bed. For 1 sq. m requires 1 g of seeds, and for autumn sowing - 2 g.

In the greenhouse, they cut one leaf per plant, so they plant it densely. For 1 sq. m requires 2 g of seeds. At home, choose pots with a depth of at least 15 cm. Use a peg to mark furrows of 2 cm. They are watered with water, seeds are scattered, keeping a distance, and covered with soil. The plantings should not be moistened immediately. Dry soil will act as mulch, and water will last a long time.

Dill planted before winter is also not watered. You can sow a new batch every 2 weeks to get a fresh harvest all year round. Therefore, you should leave empty areas in the garden or greenhouse. You need to have spare pots in the house.

You can simply scatter the seeds on the surface of the bed, cover them with a rake and water them. They should then be thinned out to produce fuller greens.

Care

Care consists of watering, loosening and weeding. During the growing season, the crop is not fed or sprayed, since the use of pesticides for greens is prohibited.

The plant usually does not succumb to disease, but when thickened it can suffer from fungal and bacterial infections. If there is excess moisture, the crop dies from blackleg.

In open ground it is damaged by pests:

In the apartment

Indoor care involves observing temperature conditions, lighting and watering. Not all varieties of dill are grown at home. Early ones are not suitable for this, as they quickly stretch out, forming few leaves. Late varieties of greenery and bush species are ideal for indoors.

Room temperature in winter is considered optimal at +20 degrees. Place containers with dill near a window or on a windowsill, but if too warm air rises from the radiator there, then make small glass barriers or use plexiglass.

Phytolights or fluorescent lamps are used as lighting. These devices are installed at a height of 0.5 m from the soil surface. The duration of daylight should be more than 12 hours. To ensure that the plants stretch straight, the pots with seedlings are turned every 3-4 days.

It is better to water the crop with settled rainwater, and in winter with melt water. The signal for moisture is a dry soil surface. In winter, irrigation is carried out 1-2 times a week, and in summer three times every 7 days.

Dill is an affordable and healthy spicy seasoning for dishes and preserves. An unpretentious annual plant found in garden plots of the northern and southern regions. But even familiar greens can grow poorly if you choose the wrong place and don’t know the rules of agricultural technology. Recommendations from experienced gardeners on how to plant dill will guarantee a rich harvest.

Leave 20-25 cm between the rows of dill

Choosing a location and landing rules

The herb came to Europe from the Mediterranean and Asia. The culture is unpretentious, cold-resistant, modern varieties have strong immunity. The plant must be planted in a well-lit area, away from flooded areas. The soil should be neutral and loose. Fertile land produces a rich harvest of greenery. The area for greenery is prepared in the fall. Autumn plowing (digging) and fertilization will be required. The best feeding will be compost and humus. Due to the slow germination of seeds, it is necessary to rid the bed of weeds that can clog the seedlings.

Information. Acidic soil slows down the germination of dill seeds and prevents the full absorption of nutrients.

The optimal time for planting aromatic grass is in April, but the seeds are sown during the summer for a regular harvest of greenery. Growing dill is possible in any conditions: open and closed ground, on a balcony or windowsill. Sowing begins before stable heat is established; the plant can withstand short-term frosts down to -3°C. In the spring, the soil is cultivated, and mineral fertilizers are applied during the same period.

The seeds of umbrella plants have a high percentage of essential oils that impede germination. Soaking speeds up the natural processes of the plant. In the place where dill is planted, furrows are prepared 1.5-2 cm deep and up to 5 cm wide. The soil is watered abundantly. Planting scheme - a gap of 20 cm is left between the crop rows. Seeds are sown in the furrows in a zigzag pattern. Material consumption is 1-2 g per square meter. m. It is correct to sprinkle the sowing on top with loose soil mixed with humus. The bed is mulched to retain moisture and prevent the formation of a hard crust on the soil surface.

Information. Usually dill is planted with seeds, but late-ripening bush varieties in the northern regions do not have time to produce mature fruits. In this case, farmers plant the spice using seedlings, having previously grown seedlings at home or in a greenhouse.

How to plant dill in open ground with seeds

Farmers love the spicy plant for its short growing season. Depending on the variety, greenery is cut after 35-45 days. In spring, you can sow dill along the furrows or scattered. In the second case, small oblong seeds are mixed with sand. Incorporation into the soil occurs with a rake. You cannot plant greenery in the shade of trees or outbuildings. Unlike parsley, dill is very sensitive to lack of light. Without sunlight, it becomes frail, yellowish, and painful.

Advice. In early spring and before winter in areas with high rainfall, sow dill in raised beds. In other cases, the crop is planted on a flat surface.

One of the mistakes novice gardeners make is to plant fragrant greens in acidic soil. The plant does not absorb minerals well and suffers from nutritional deficiency. Heavy clay soil is also best avoided. Soil with poor air permeability causes yellowing of crops. The secrets of growing a rich harvest are in the article.
How to choose the right seeds for planting? Breeders have created many varieties of spices, differing in ripening time and rosette size. The culture is divided into 3 groups according to the onset of maturity:

Early ripening varieties - green leaves reach commercial ripeness in 33-35 days. These include “Gribovsky”, “Aurora”.
Mid-season varieties - harvesting begins after 35-40 days. The plants are distinguished by thick leaves and a strong aroma - “Dill”, “Borey”.
Late-ripening varieties are grown for greens and do not produce umbrellas for a long time. Among the popular options are “Salut”, “Rime”, “Kibray”. These varieties belong to the bush forms.

When planting in spring and summer, the seeds undergo pre-sowing preparation; autumn and winter sowing is carried out with dry material. Moist soil (70-80%) and air temperature 18-20°C are optimal conditions for seed germination. When the temperature rises to 30-33°C, the development of sprouts stops. Dense sowing with friendly shoots requires mandatory thinning. Leave 8-10 cm between plants.

Planting dill before winter

Early greens are the most delicious and aromatic; gardeners know that to get them, you need to sow dill in the fall. Seeds that have been stratified by winter frosts germinate faster. Plants are hardened, immunity and resistance to cold are increased. They receive the necessary moisture after massive snow melting. It is important to choose the right time for planting before winter. Early sowing in warm weather provokes germination of the crop. The cold will kill the seedlings; you will have to replant the greens in early spring.

The optimal timing depends on weather conditions in the region. Most often this is the beginning of November, in the middle zone and further north - October. You can navigate by the air temperature, when it is stable within 3-0°C during the day, and -1-2°C at night, they begin planting. First of all, prepare the beds. The area is dug up using a shovel and the weeds are removed. Fertilizer is applied, preferably humus or compost. Organic matter is beneficial to plants and safe for humans. The amount of fertilizer is 5 kg per square meter. m. The soil also receives mineral fertilizing in the form of superphosphates, wood ash, and urea.

Information. Before winter, dill seeds are not soaked; they are planted dry. There is no need to speed up germination.

Autumn sowing work has several features:

The furrows in the beds are made about 4 cm deep (spring and summer sowings are 2 cm deep). A layer of soil will protect the dill from freezing in severe frosts and little snow.
There is no need to moisten the soil. When planting in the warm season, the bed must be watered. Throughout the winter, it is necessary to prevent swelling and germination of the seeds, so choose dry weather and do not soak or water the dill.
Number of seeds per sq. m area increases by 25-30%. The stock provides a sufficient number of seedlings in the event of partial loss of the crop due to unfavorable conditions. Light seeds are washed away during floods and lose their viability under the influence of abnormally low temperatures.
After filling the furrows, the bed is mulched with peat, sawdust or humus, and agrofibre is used. An additional layer serves as shelter from the winter cold. This protection is especially important when there is little snow cover.

If frost hits early, is it possible to plant seeds? There is a way to sow dill directly on the surface of frozen soil. If snow falls, it is swept away from the designated area. Dry seeds are scattered on the ground. A layer of prepared soil or humus along with peat is poured on top. During the spring melting of snow, dill will go with water deep into the soil.

How to sow dill so that it sprouts quickly

The seeds of the herb are rich in essential oils and organic acids. These characteristics make them a useful medicinal raw material and aromatic culinary seasoning. Essential oils prevent moisture from getting inside the fruit, slowing down the biological processes of sprout development. After planting, gardeners have to wait about three weeks for greenery to appear. What to do with slow-germinating seeds? The main tip is to partially wash out the oils. Full information about the characteristics of the fruits of the spicy culture is in the article.

Experienced farmers know several methods to speed up the germination of dill. Work with planting material begins a week before sowing. It must not only be soaked, but also disinfected before sowing in open ground. Fungal and viral diseases are in most cases transmitted through contaminated seed.

Information. The best germination rate is for seeds collected 1 year before sowing. If storage rules are violated, planting material loses its quality.

Methods for processing dill seeds for quick germination:

Soaking in warm water. The simplest and most affordable option is to place the herb grains in warm water for 2-3 days. The liquid must be filtered or settled. These procedures will get rid of the chlorine found in tap water. The chemical element negatively affects plants. For convenience, the seeds are poured into a bag of gauze or cotton fabric. The water is changed 4-5 times a day. Each time a liquid is poured at a temperature of 20-22°C.
Advice. Hot water (55-60°C) has a more effective effect on essential oils. The time spent in it is limited to 2-3 minutes.
Dill does not need to be kept in large amounts of water. After soaking and regularly changing the liquid during the day, it is placed in a wet napkin. The room where the seeds are swelling should be warm. As the napkin dries, moisten it with water.
Immersion in a solution of growth stimulants. One of the popular ways to quickly germinate dill is to place it in a solution of biological stimulants “Epin”, “Zircon”, “Kornevin”. The drugs activate the development of the embryo and strengthen the plant’s immunity. They are diluted in water according to the manufacturer's instructions. Substances contained in stimulants accelerate root pecking.
The ash solution serves as a replacement for biostimulants. Its action is based on the content of large amounts of trace elements (especially potassium and calcium) in the ash. The substance is poured into hot water (2 tablespoons per 1 liter) and left for 2 days, stirred occasionally.
Soaking in vodka before planting. Ethyl alcohol dissolves essential oil perfectly. Seed material treated with vodka (40% alcohol solution) demonstrates rapid germination. The procedure should not exceed 15 minutes. Alcohol not only dissolves the oil, but also has a disinfectant effect.
One of the natural growth activators is aloe. Leaf juice diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio is used to soak the seeds of aromatic greens. The composition increases the immunity of the culture.
Bubbling is the treatment of seeds with air. At home, the procedure requires a tall glass container and a compressor used for an aquarium. During processing, the material is saturated with oxygen and essential oils are washed out of it. Bubbling time is 12-18 hours. The temperature of the water used is 18-20°C. After the procedure, in favorable weather conditions, the seeds germinate within 3 days.
Vernalization is a method that older generation farmers know about. The seeds are poured into a fabric bag and buried in the ground for a week.

Preparing seeds for sowing will be incomplete without dressing. Pathogenic microorganisms are destroyed by high temperature, alcohol, fungicide solution:

Manganese permanganate crystals are dissolved in water until the liquid turns pink. Planting material is poured into a bag and immersed in the solution for 20-30 minutes. Then rinse with running water.
Fungicide "Fundazol" is diluted in water according to the instructions. After processing, dill will be protected from many diseases.
A replacement for the listed drugs is hydrogen peroxide; it has bactericidal properties. Keep the planting material in the solution for 10 minutes.

Information. Treatment of dill seeds with “Fundazol” eliminates the pathogens of powdery mildew, fusarium, and rot.

After treatment with stimulants and fungicides, green seeds are washed with clean water. Before planting, the material is thoroughly dried to restore flowability. It is scattered on paper in a thin layer, stirred periodically so that it dries evenly. Before planting, the bed is moistened abundantly. To maintain favorable conditions, you can plant the crop under film. The transparent fabric allows light to pass through but prevents moisture evaporation. With the appearance of the first green shoots, the shelter is removed.

When can you plant dill?

Gardeners sow herbs in open ground several times a year, harvesting green leaves twice. The first sowing occurs in early spring. At the end of April, after the snow has melted, you can plant the crop in the prepared beds. In the fall they are filled with organic and mineral fertilizers. Planting time depends on the region; in the northern regions, the crop is sown in May.

Seeds and shoots are resistant to cold. The germination process starts at soil temperatures of 3-5°C. Optimal indicators for crop development are 16-18°C; for flowering and fruit ripening, 20°C is required. In addition to warmth and moisture, greenery requires long daylight hours. In April it is at least 12 hours.

Advice. When sowing in early spring, you should not germinate the seeds; washing is enough. As a result of return frosts, the sprouts may be damaged and the germination rate will decrease.

The second time planting occurs in August, when some of the vegetables have been removed from the beds and free space has appeared. It is recommended to choose varieties with dense foliage intended for greens: “Richelieu”, “Grenadier”, “Ozornik”, “Salute”, “Umbrella”. Summer planting requires processing of the seed material. There is little time left before the first cold weather, during which the seeds must germinate and the seedlings must reach marketable ripeness.

A common way to influence planting material is to place it in hot water (55-60°) for 2-3 minutes. After this, soak for 2 days with regular changes of liquid. The procedure will wash out some of the essential oils, allowing moisture to quickly penetrate the seed. Dill is sown in furrows, abundantly watered. It is recommended to sprinkle the top not with soil, but with humus or its mixture with peat and sand. The first days after planting, no watering is required; then, depending on weather conditions, the beds are irrigated 1-2 times a week.

In the southern regions, re-sowing periods are wider; the last greens can be sown in September. The plant is not afraid of cold weather, even if night frosts occur, the rosette will not die. The consequence of frost can be a change in the color of the leaves. Experienced farmers have green leaves in their diet throughout the warm period. Their secret is regular sowing of the crop. Starting from the first spring planting, a new batch of dill is sown every 3 weeks. When one greenery enters the flowering phase, the next planting gains green mass. This conveyor does not stop until the fall.

After the end of the warm season, in October or November, gardeners prepare to sow dill before winter. Such planting will ensure the ripening of the first greenery 1-2 weeks earlier than the earliest spring sowing. The seeds overwinter in the soil without negative consequences. For a plant that reproduces in nature by self-sowing, this is a natural process.

How many days does it take for dill to sprout after sowing?

Herb seeds are considered difficult to germinate. After planting in open ground, they sprout within 15-20 days. The waiting period for the first green shoots depends on several factors:

Moderate soil moisture can speed up the process. In dry weather and without watering, germination is delayed. Seeds absorb large amounts of moisture (up to 250% at a temperature of 12-14°C). This ability is explained by the presence of proteins in the seed, and on its surface there are protrusions and ribs.
The germination time is affected by the temperature of the surrounding air and ground. In warm weather, greens from seeds germinate faster than in early spring, when the thermometer rises slightly above zero. Under experimental conditions at the same humidity, it was noted that at +5°C the culture germinated for 24 days, and at +20°C – 4 days. In open ground, when the soil warms up to +12°C, seeds germinate in 10-14 days.
The timing is affected by the chemical composition of the soil, the level of acidity, and the structure of the soil. Neutral, loose soil is the best option for growing greens. It provides unobstructed air exchange.
The planting depth should not exceed 2 cm, otherwise it will be difficult for the delicate sprout to get out.

Information. Regular watering and warmth are two main factors that accelerate the appearance of the first leaves.

How much greenery grows in the garden depends on the variety. Early ripening dill produces inflorescences in a month and soon dries up. Late-ripening varieties bear fruit by the end of summer, producing green leaves throughout the entire period. Soaking and processing seeds accelerate biochemical processes. Shoots appear in 7-10 days. Seed germination is quite low, only 55-60% of planting material of the first category sprouts. Seeds with a germination rate of 35% or more are considered high-quality. Therefore, dill is sown in large quantities, approximately 1 g per 1 square meter. m.

Dill neighbors in the garden

When planting vegetables in the garden, it is important to consider their compatibility. Properly chosen neighbors in the garden have a positive influence on each other. Crops with poor compatibility are inhibited in development and compete for nutrients. Where to plant dill next to and why? To prevent plants from interfering with each other, they must belong to different families. In this case, they do not have common diseases and pests that quickly spread throughout the beds and destroy the crop.

One of the rules is that high plantings should not obscure low ones. You should also take into account the need and possibility of nutrient consumption by crops. The best spice neighbors in the garden:

cabbage;
cucumbers;
beans;
strawberry;
fennel.

Dill umbrellas attract insects to pollinate flowering vegetables, as well as ladybugs that destroy aphids. When planting greenery among strawberries, the aromatic grass repels slugs. Cucumbers in the diffused shade of narrow leaves will hide from the summer heat, and fennel will have an improved taste.

Can I plant next to tomatoes? No, such proximity should be avoided. Plants actively consume the same nutrients from the soil, and their productivity decreases. It is not advisable to place carrots and basil next to spicy crops.

After which you can plant dill

Gardeners sow annual crops every year. When choosing a location, you have to take into account the level of light and humidity. In addition, we must not forget about our predecessors. The chances of a good harvest increase with cucumbers, potatoes, cabbage, legumes and beets.

Advice. If there were a lot of aphids in the garden, plant onions. The vegetable repels the pest. Next year you can safely plant dill and other crops without fear of insects.

What to plant after dill

Crop rotation is an important part of farming; following recommendations for alternating garden crops will help prevent soil depletion and the spread of diseases. Fragrant dill is less demanding on the environment and is planted after most vegetables. The plant is content with a small amount of microelements, so the area does not require special restoration. What to plant after the greens next year?

Experienced gardeners have noticed that in place of herbs, melons and melons grow well - zucchini, pumpkins, and squash. Representatives of the nightshade family, tomatoes and eggplants also do well, taking the place of greens. It is recommended to place other vegetables:

peas;
pepper;
potato.

What not to plant

Is it possible to plant garlic instead of greenery? Dill is a bad predecessor for garlic, just like other greens. The root system of crops is located close to the soil surface and depletes its top layer. Garlic has a similar root structure, so it is advisable to alternate it with plants that extract food from the deep layers of the earth.

It is not recommended to alternate the spicy crop with plants of the umbelliferous family: parsley, fennel, cumin, coriander. During the growing season, pathogens and insects accumulate in the soil. If you sow related crops, infection cannot be avoided.

Dill is compatible with most vegetables and is not picky about soil composition. There is always a place for him in the garden bed.

Among the many green herbs used in cooking, dill can easily be called the most popular herb. It is loved by chefs and gourmets for its spicy qualities that refresh the taste and smell of any dish, as well as for the fact that it has an impressive range of beneficial properties. The advantages of the spice should also be added to the ease of planting and the simple growing process. In this article we will tell you whether it is possible to grow good harvests of dill from seeds yourself, and when is the best time to plant it.

Did you know? The energy value of dried dill is several times higher than that of fresh herbs.

Features of growing dill

Growing dill for greens, although not a difficult task, still has its own nuances. If they are not taken into account when cultivating a crop, the harvest may not be of sufficient quality and abundance.

Features of growing spices:

the crop has early sowing dates (it is permissible to sow at the end of November or in March, when the snow has already melted);
the planting should not be allowed to thicken (thickly sown dill grows poorly and slowly, and also goes into the trunks early);
it is permissible to sow the crop by scattering seeds throughout the garden (for example, on onion and garlic plantations);
when planting spicy greens in the second part of the summer period, they are given a place with shading, since when there is intense heat in July, exposure to direct rays of the sun is only permissible until lunch (this spice is a short-day crop and does not tolerate scorching ultraviolet rays);
the spice is sown only in moist soil, with mandatory watering during the growing season (dill immediately sprouts trunks without watering);
It is necessary to loosen the row spacing where the greenery in question grows;
the crop prefers light, nutritious soils, since it grows poorly on clayey, acidified soils and in lowlands;
The plant tolerates picking well (from the moment 1–2 leaves appear), so it is also grown as seedlings.

Timing for planting dill in open ground in summer

The seeds of the crop can germinate throughout the entire warm period, even managing to produce an autumn harvest, so dill is sown several times during the season (to obtain fresh greens), starting in early spring, then at the beginning of summer, then in July, and also in August and right up to until September inclusive.

Important! People with low blood pressure are contraindicated from eating either dill itself or preparations based on this herb.

Features of sowing dill

To obtain a good harvest of dill, the correct selection of seed material is necessary, as well as measures to carry out high-quality pre-sowing seed treatment. It will also be important to prepare a site with suitable soil for sowing.

Choosing a plant variety

Varieties of green spices are selected according to the following criteria (taking into account the preferences of a particular gardener):

by ripening time (early ripening, mid-ripening, late ripening species);
by properties (bush or umbrella);
by the shade and shape of the foliage;
by aroma intensity;
taste.

Seed treatment

Having chosen the most optimal variety of dill, before planting it, the gardener must process the planting material. This procedure is mandatory because the seeds of the crop germinate very slowly due to the fact that they are coated with essential oils, which prevents moisture from penetrating inside the seeds. The germination process can be accelerated by keeping the seeds in hot water (not boiling) - this will allow excess oil to float to the surface. After the water has cooled, it is drained and the seeds are rinsed in cold water.

Preparing a place for sowing dill

To sow the described spice, you need preliminary soil preparation (possible in the pre-winter period), including the addition of the following components:

humus or any complex fertilizers;
superphosphate (especially important during seed germination);
nitroammofoski.

The application of fertilizers is combined with digging up the soil on the site, after which the entire area is leveled with a rake.

Important! For better germination of dill, before sowing it, you can bubble the seeds for 24 hours with an aquarium compressor, placing the device in a container containing seeds soaked in water.

After preliminary preparation of the seed material, we sow dill using the following technology:

We make rows in the soil with a stake and water them (if the seeds are sown in warm weather, but when planting before winter, the rows are not watered);
seed depth - 2 cm (when planting in spring);
distance between rows - 20 cm;
sow the seeds one at a time every 5 cm;
Sprinkle the seeds on top with a thin layer of the same soil (1.5–2 cm).

You can also plant the seeds in a carpet pattern, scattering them evenly over the surface of the soil and then carefully leveling them with a rake.

Dill care

In order for the seedlings to appear on time and please you with a good harvest, the plants need to organize a comfortable environment, including watering and fertilizing, removing weeds and thinning the plantings, as well as assistance in the fight against harmful insects and diseases.

Watering and fertilizing

When caring for dill, you need to remember some nuances of watering and fertilizing it:

Since the described crop is moisture-loving, the soil on the plantation must be constantly moistened in moderation. But these greens cannot tolerate too frequent and abundant watering: in swampy soil, dill grows slowly and gets sick, the concentration of oils in it decreases, which affects its aroma.
The crop cannot tolerate drought - because of it, it stops developing, the leaves become hard and attract nitrates from the soil.
Plants are watered up to 2 times a week (in hot weather, watering is organized using sprinklers).
For varieties with a short ripening period, fertilizing is not applied, since the nutrients added when preparing the beds in spring or autumn are sufficient for dill.
Mid-ripening and late-ripening varieties are fed twice: at the age of three true leaves - with nitrophoska or urea (15 g per 1 m² of plot), and a second time - after 20 days (15 g of potassium salt and 20 g of urea per 4 m²).
Nutrient solutions are applied under the roots, trying not to get on the foliage, and then the beds are moistened abundantly.

Did you know? In Ancient Rus', housewives hung dry sprigs of dill in every corner of the hut - this method in those days repelled harmful insects with the spicy smell of this herb.

Weeding and thinning

Fragrant greens need to be weeded from weeds so that nutrients are not consumed for their growth. Weeds can also compact the soil and retain excess moisture. Since dill bushes require sufficient space for normal development and growth, as well as good air exchange, after rains and watering the soil between the rows is loosened and the thickets are thinned out.

Pest and disease control

Like any garden crop, dill is susceptible to various diseases that arise due to attacks by harmful insects and improper care.

Fomoz. The fungus on shoots and foliage is expressed as dark, elongated spots with black specks. Sometimes roots are affected by Phoma. Spores can be carried by various insects, aerosolized and transmitted through water. After identifying the disease, treatment with drugs is useless; it is only necessary to remove dying leaves and stems or even entire bushes. Healthy plantings are irrigated with Bordeaux mixture 2 times a month.
Verticillium wilt. A fungal disease affects bushes as a result of the coincidence of two factors - exposure to insects and temperature indicators within +17...+22°C. As a result of the penetration of the fungus into the plants, its mycelium blocks the channels through which nutrients move, the bushes wither and die. Having discovered the first signs of damage, the drugs “Topsin” and “Fundazol” are used. When the disease starts, the bushes are destroyed. For preventive reasons, the dill plantation is sprayed with the drug “Previkur” (all drugs are used according to the instructions).

Insects dangerous to crops are:

Diseases of the crop due to errors in care:

Some useful tips from experienced gardeners will come in handy when growing and caring for dill:

you can purchase several different varieties of dill that have different ripening periods - this will allow you to have fresh herbs on the table right up to the cold weather;
before sowing dill, to better dissolve the essential oils covering the seeds, you can pour vodka over them for 15 minutes, then rinse, dry and sow immediately (this guarantees faster germination of the seeds);
there is no need to immediately water the dill crops, but it is better to water the area the day before planting (otherwise the seeds will sink with water somewhat deeper than necessary for germination);
caraway seeds, parsley, and carrots will be bad neighbors for dill;
the crops of pre-winter planting of dill in early spring are covered with covering material, securing it around the perimeter, and the greens covered in this way can be cut 1–2 weeks earlier;
pre-winter sowing of dill seeds must be carried out before the first frost, planting the seeds to a depth of 4 cm;
In order to enjoy young and fresh dill all summer long, you need to regularly (every 1-2 weeks) sow the seeds in the vacant spaces.

As you can see, providing your family with fresh dill is not difficult at all. You just need to choose the seeds wisely, sow them in a timely manner, properly care for the plants, and after a short period of time you will be able to enjoy spicy herbs until late autumn.