It's great to have tender dill on the table every day; its mere appearance whets the appetite. But not everyone succeeds in growing this fragrant annual plant in their garden. Many gardeners don't know how to sow the seeds properly to ensure a healthy crop.
We sow dill before winter
Winter sowing is the easiest and most reliable way to get early greens. First, choose a good spot for the garden bed. It should receive adequate sun in the summer and have snow accumulation in the winter.
The soil should be dug deep enough (25 cm) and humus or compost added. At least ½ a bucket of organic matter should be added per 1 m² of bed. If the soil is acidic (pH < 5.5), add dolomite flour (350 to 500 g/m²), chalk (100 to 300 g/m²), or ash (200 g/m²).
When sowing seeds in winter, do not soak them; sow them dry.
Sow the prepared bed two weeks before the onset of frost. The seed packet specifies the application rate per square meter; increase this by at least 25%. Furrows are spaced 15 cm apart and covered with a 3-4 cm layer. If winters are light on snow, mulch the bed.
As soon as the snow melts in spring, the mulch is removed. Once the soil warms to 5°C, the seeds begin to germinate. Young seedlings are not affected by cold snaps. The seeds undergo natural stratification during the winter, so they germinate evenly.
Dill in a greenhouse
Dill can be sown in a carbonate greenhouse in late winter. Prepare the soil in the fall. Remove any remaining roots, dig, add compost, and level the surface with a rake. Fill bags or buckets with a mixture of garden soil and compost; this will be useful in the spring. Store in the greenhouse or take the bags to a warm shed.
In winter, bring snow into the greenhouse, covering the entire bed surface. Sow in February. Scatter the seeds randomly and cover with 5-7 cm of snow. When spring arrives, the snow will melt, thoroughly moistening the soil. Mulch the bed surface with the soil prepared in the fall (2-3 cm).
Water the bed regularly before and after the seedlings appear.
Cover the seedlings with plastic film to reduce moisture evaporation and accelerate seed germination. Seeds will begin to sprout when the soil warms to 4-5°C. If the greenhouse is electrified, you can speed up seed germination by using infrared lamps. In this case, you can harvest the first crop of greens in just 2-3 weeks.
We bubble the seeds
Dill seeds take a long time to germinate due to the high concentration of essential oils in the seed coat. To speed up germination, many gardeners soak them in hot water, dry them, and sow them. Green shoots appear in 7-10 days.
Seed bubbling accelerates germination by almost 2 times, with sprouts appearing 5-7 days after planting. Seed bubbling involves exposing the seeds to water and oxygen. The following is required for the treatment:
- water;
- jar;
- compressor (aquarium);
- compressor tip.
The seeds are poured into a jar and filled with room-temperature water. The compressor diffuser is lowered into the jar, the compressor itself is adjusted, and turned on. The air bubbles enrich the water with oxygen, leaching the essential oils from the dill seeds. The treatment lasts 12-20 hours.
Place the seeds on a cotton cloth, let them dry slightly, and then begin planting. In spring, the first sowing is done around April 10th-15th. The soil should warm to 5-7°C by planting time. Make furrows 15-20 cm apart and water thoroughly. Cover the seeds with garden soil mixed with humus (1:1) or compost.
Dill does not need mineral fertilizers if organic matter (compost, humus, peat) is added to the soil.
The bed is covered with plastic to prevent the soil from drying out, and after the first shoots appear, the plastic is removed. Caring for dill is quite simple:
- watering;
- weeding;
- loosening the spaces between rows.
Water frequently; if the soil is consistently moist and doesn't dry out, the greens will be more lush and the yield per unit area will be higher. Re-sow after 2-3 weeks. Dill can be re-sown several times during the season. August sowing can be used for freezing for the winter.
How to sow dill in summer − advice from an experienced gardener
The easiest time to plant dill is in early spring. The soil is moist after winter, so it germinates quickly and easily, requiring minimal care. In summer, the beds are cleared after the early crops, but the heat sets in, and the soil dries out.
Dill planted in hot soil germinates poorly, producing weak, sparse sprouts. There's a solution: stratification. To do this, you'll need:
- sand ½ bucket;
- dill (seeds) 1 l jar;
- water.
The seeds should be evenly mixed with sand and watered. The sand should be moderately damp, not dripping. Place the bucket in the shade, and after 4 days, stir the contents and water. After 3-4 days, when the seeds have sprouted, begin planting.
Dill sprouts faster if the bed is covered with agrofibre and not removed during watering.
Sow in deep furrows (5 cm deep), spacing them 20 cm apart. Make the furrows with a hoe. Sow the seeds thickly, covering them with a 4-5 cm layer of soil, and water thoroughly. Gardeners often make a mistake by covering dill seeds with a thin layer of 10-20 mm. In hot weather, the soil dries out immediately after watering, resulting in sparse, weak seedlings.
Growing dill on the balcony
You can grow dill for greens without a garden. A window, loggia, or balcony are all great places to place a box of herbs. Everything you need to grow dill can be purchased at a gardening store:
- plastic container;
- universal soil for vegetables;
- growth stimulator;
- seeds.
Buy several varieties of dill with different ripening times (early, mid-season, late). Each variety can be planted in a separate container. Treat the seeds with a growth stimulant before planting. The treatment process is described in the instructions.
Fill the boxes with soil and water. Scatter the seeds evenly over the soil surface, covering with a 1-2 cm layer of soil. Moisten the top layer of soil with a spray bottle, and cover the boxes with plastic wrap. Keep the soil moist regularly until seedlings emerge.
Harvesting and processing dill
Young plants, 5-7 cm tall, are used for freezing. Harvesting is done selectively, cutting individual plants or the entire dill plant at once. In the latter case, the bed can be used for replanting. Dill is dried or frozen. Frozen dill contains more vitamins than dried.
It's not a problem if you want to grow fresh herbs but have no experience. The key is choosing a good variety and preparing the soil properly. Gribovsky, Umbrella, Amazon, Richelieu, and Alligator dill varieties have received positive reviews.
How to grow dill on a windowsill in an apartment?