How to grow Dill
in the UK

Dill's a proper cracking herb, dead easy to get going on the plot. It brings a lovely, fresh, slightly aniseed flavour to your cooking, and the feathery foliage looks grand. Honestly, it's one of those plants that just gets on with it.

Sowing

Right, for dill, you're looking at sowing from April right through to June, and you'll be picking it in about six weeks, which is proper quick. I usually sow a small pinch of seeds directly where I want them to grow, about 1 cm deep. If you're down south, you might get started a bit earlier, but up here in the North East, April's usually a good bet, especially if it's a sheltered spot or you've got a cold frame. Like I say, I sow a few every few weeks for a continuous supply, stops everything coming at once. Now, the GrowMore CookMore app talks about zones; just remember that means you might need to tweak your timing depending on whether you're up here or further south, especially with that last frost date being mid to late May for us.

Growing on

Once your dill seedlings are up and looking strong, you'll want to thin them out a bit. Aim for about 15-20 cm between plants, give them a bit of elbow room, you know what I mean. If you're buying plug plants, which a lot of garden centres sell, just pop them straight in at that spacing. Dill doesn't really need much in the way of support, it tends to stand up for itself, and it grows well in a decent-sized pot if your plot's a bit full. Just make sure the pot drains well.

Looking after it

Dill's not a fussy plant, to be honest. It likes a sunny spot and well-drained soil, like most herbs. Keep it watered, especially if we have a dry spell, but don't let it get waterlogged. You don't usually need to feed it much, a bit of well-rotted compost worked into the soil before planting is usually plenty.

What goes wrong

The main things that'll bother your dill are aphids, those little green things, and slugs. Slugs can be a right pain when they're small seedlings, so keep an eye out. I sometimes plant marigolds or nasturtiums nearby; they can help draw the aphids away, or at least you see 'em on those plants first. Just check your plants regularly, you know, a bit of a morning wander with a cuppa.

Harvest

You can start picking dill leaves when the plants are about 15 cm tall, usually around 45 days after sowing. Just snip off what you need from the outer leaves, and the plant will keep on producing. If you've got a glut, it freezes really well, just chop it up and pop it in ice cube trays with a bit of water. Otherwise, use it fresh in your cooking, or store any spare sprigs in the fridge like a bunch of flowers, in a glass of water.