You need to focus your attention, first of all, on varieties with high resistance to temperature changes, high germination rates and capable of producing abundant harvests with simple agricultural techniques.

The following options are great:

• Grenadier– early ripening variety. Already a month after the appearance of the first shoots, you can harvest the crop. The variety is disease resistant and unpretentious; the seeds have high germination rates. Two months after sowing, you can collect the stems and seeds for spices.
• Lesnogorodsky– mid-season variety. Consistently produces a large amount of foliage, even at the stage of umbrella formation and seed ripening.
• Kibray– a late-ripening variety with almost one hundred percent seed germination and abundant foliage.
• Mischievous– the variety grows new leaves for a long time without forming umbrella shoots.

• cucumbers;
• tomatoes;
• cabbage.

In addition to saving space, this method of planting has another benefit. Dill is a plant with a large amount of essential oils in its composition. Thanks to this, it helps protect neighboring crops from attack by harmful insects.

But there are also plants that are incompatible with dill - carrots and celery.

Detailed step-by-step instructions

1. The place prepared for planting is marked. Using a wooden stick or plank, grooves are formed, two centimeters deep, at a distance of twenty centimeters from each other.
2. The depressions are moderately shed with water and planting material is sown. An interval of 1-2 cm must be maintained between seeds.
3. The sown rows are covered with slightly damp soil.
4. If planting is carried out before winter, then the furrows are not watered before sowing.

In addition to the classic row planting scheme, you can use a carpet scheme. This method will not only allow you to harvest dill, but also decorate the area with a lush green blanket. To do this, the seeds are scattered evenly over the selected area and covered with a rake. After this, the soil is watered abundantly.

How to care?

• Immediately after planting, you need to think about organizing watering. It is best if it is drip.
• Before seedlings emerge, the crops need to be moistened moderately so that the water does not carry the seeds with it to depth.
• Care should be taken to ensure that a crust does not form on the surface of the soil - this will complicate the germination of dill.
• In the phase of 2-3 true leaves, the plant is fed with urea.

You will find more information on proper care of dill.

The popularity of dill among our gardeners is difficult to overestimate - it is a favorite seasoning and a constant source of aromatic herbs. To get the harvest right the first time, you need to pay special attention to the selection and preparation of seeds, as well as follow all recommendations on growing technology.

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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.

Many summer residents grow herbs on their plots, among which dill has a special place. In folk medicine it is used as a choleretic, diuretic and expectorant, and in cooking it is added as a seasoning to many dishes. Let's look at what varieties of dill exist and how they differ.

The best varieties of dill for the Moscow region

Dill varieties are divided into early, mid, and late ripening. In early ripening varieties: Grenadier, Gribovsky, Dalniy, Umbrella - stem formation occurs within 1.5 months, after which flowering begins. Because of this feature, it is impossible to get a large harvest of greens, but there will be plenty of seeds and stems for preservation. Most often, gardeners plant just such varieties, since they have time to re-sow, with a break of 10-12 days, for continuous harvesting throughout the season.

In mid-season varieties: Richelieu, Kibray, Umbrella, stem formation occurs 10 days later than the early ones. Due to this, more leaves are formed (up to 10). This allows you to collect not only greens, but also umbrellas with seeds in waxy ripeness, which are used as a seasoning in cooking.

Late-ripening varieties: Alligator, Amazon, Buyan - give the largest amount of greenery. The stem matures in 2.5 months.

Where to plant dill

Among summer residents, dill is considered a crop that does not require special care. However, to get a good harvest, you should follow some rules.

Dill is planted in light soil with a neutral pH. With increased acidity, the grass begins to turn red, and with alkaline it becomes yellow.

The selected location should be level and well lit. For optimal plant development, the ideal temperature is 15-18 degrees, and for seed formation, at least 15 hours of daylight is needed.

Dill grows well next to other vegetable crops, but arranging a garden bed is not recommended on soil depleted of berry bushes, as well as on last year’s celery site.

Preparing the soil for sowing and rejecting seeds

The place for planting dill is prepared in the fall: it is dug deep on the bayonet of a shovel, organic matter is added (up to 4 kg of manure or compost per 1 sq. m) and mineral fertilizers (200 g of superphosphate, or 150 g of potassium salt per 1 sq. m). In the spring, the ground is raked for aeration, the area is divided into grooves 2 cm deep. The distance between the rows is 20 cm.

The seeds are pre-prepared by keeping them for 2-3 days in warm water or ash solution, up to plus 50 degrees Celsius. Water changes are carried out every 6 hours. After 3 days, the seeds are placed on damp gauze and left at a temperature of plus 20 degrees Celsius until sprouts appear.

Before planting, the seed is dried for 30 minutes. Without preliminary preparation of dill seeds, their germination may take 3-4 times longer, due to the high content of essential oils in them.

Planting dill in open ground with seeds

Sowing begins in early spring, from April - May, and continues until autumn every 2 weeks. The procedure can be carried out even in light frosts, down to minus 4 degrees Celsius, in well-moistened soil.

To grow dill for greens, seeds are sown across the beds, or scattered. The rows are placed at a distance of 15 cm from each other, since frequent rowing makes the plants weak, and the foliage on them begins to turn yellow and dry out over time.

In spring, the sowing rate for this method is up to 2 grams of seeds per 1 square meter. m, and in the fall - up to 3 grams per 1 sq. m. The distance between plants should be from 3 to 5 cm.

Sowing dill in summer is carried out using the five-line tape method, most suitable for varieties “for pickling”. The distance between lines is 30 cm, between tapes - up to 0.5 m. The sowing rate with this method is up to 2 g per 1 sq. m. m. Seeds are buried in the soil up to 3 cm.

In autumn, sowing is carried out before the onset of stable frosts. With the winter method, the soil does not need additional compaction. For further protection from frost, the seeds are covered with mulching material.

Dill can also be planted in winter. Seeds are sown on a bed previously cleared of snow, which is covered with soil mixed with humus and peat in a one-to-one ratio. After the snow begins to melt in the spring, the seeds with the melt water will fall into the ground. This way they will sprout 2-3 weeks earlier than during spring planting.

Planting dill seeds in open ground video

Caring for dill in open ground

It is not recommended to additionally water dill after sowing, since with water the seeds will go deeper into the ground. Regular feeding of dill in open ground is not required and consists of adding potassium fertilizers or using an ash solution when watering.

When choosing the right place for sowing dill, the main care consists of weeding from weeds and pinching the upper part of the stem in the stage of active development - to form lush greenery.

It is important to consider what crops grow in the neighborhood, since watering should be moderate. Growing dill in open ground is recommended when soil moisture is at least 80% and air humidity is not more than 70%. With a lack of moisture, the leaves dry out and become hard.

Harvest and storage

1.5 months after sowing, when the plant reaches a height of 10 cm and begins to form inflorescences, the harvest can be harvested. Trim the dill, leaving the stem 2 cm above the ground.

The roots are left so that new greenery can grow in the future. It is best to cut the plant in the early morning - dew and high humidity in the morning air will prevent premature withering of the cut plants.

Dill can be stored frozen or dried. To do this, the greens are washed in water, laid out on a newspaper in the shade, in a well-ventilated place. They are then hung in bunches to dry completely, or frozen after being chopped.

Completely dried seeds and leaves are placed in fabric bags or glass jars. They are stored in a cool and dark place, used in cooking and folk medicine, and also left for sowing next year.

Bottom line

Dill, the cultivation of which we have discussed from seeds, is something that anyone, even a novice gardener, can plant. Following simple rules of care and a little time will allow you to grow a rich harvest of healthy greens on your site, which can be used for cooking, making pickles, or added fresh to a salad.

Dill (garden) is a valuable spicy-flavoring plant of the Apiaceae family. The culture contains many vitamins (C, B, P), carotene, and iron. Indispensable for gastrointestinal disorders. Dill essential oil is used to normalize metabolism and increase appetite. Along with parsley, the spice is a popular flavoring additive in the preparation of many dishes.
Summer residents strive to organize the production of greenery throughout the spring-autumn season. Unfortunately, for many, the question of proper, high-quality cultivation of dill remains relevant.
The crop is grown both in greenhouses, at home, and in open ground. Planting, growing and caring for dill in open ground has its advantages:

1. It's easy to choose a suitable planting location.
2. The plant feels best in open spaces, since it can reach a height of one and a half meters, and bush varieties also occupy a sufficient amount of space.
3. It is easy to organize abundant watering on the site without stagnant water.
4. The open area is well ventilated, which is a good preventive measure against diseases.

This method has its drawbacks.
Firstly, being outdoors makes crops dependent on weather changes.
Secondly, the growing season is reduced to six months.
In order to grow green, lush and fragrant dill in open ground, you need to pay attention to the main factors:

• Select the seasonal varietal composition of the crop.
• Choose the right place to plant the plant.
• It is good to prepare seeds and seedlings for open ground.
• Strictly follow the cultivation technology.
• Harvest correctly.

Variety of dill

When choosing a variety, pay attention to the ripening time of the crop.

All varieties are divided into early, mid-ripening and late.

1. Early varieties. From them you will not get a lot of green mass for sale, although there will be enough dill for cooking. The varieties are good for use in conservation, as they bloom and ripen quickly. Dill is sown in early spring and covered with film. In 1.5 months you will already have a harvest. The early varieties include Gribovsky, Umbrella, and Grenadier.
2. Medium varieties, for example, Umbrella, Richelieu, Uzory - ripen 2 months after sowing the seeds. They give more greens - up to 10 branches. Suitable for preparing seasonings, and for freezing for future use, for sale and for use during the conservation period.
3. Late ripening. The most productive are the late varieties - Alligator, Salyut, Buyan, Aurora, Kibray. They are the ones who produce lush, luxurious greens that can be used not only for preparing family meals, but also for sale. You will receive the harvest 2-2.5 months after sowing.

Late bush varieties. They do not develop umbrellas for a long time, new leaves quickly grow, which can be constantly cut off throughout the season without constantly sowing new seeds. These varieties are characterized by closely spaced stem internodes, so they look like small bushes, which is where their specific name comes from.
Not all late varieties have time to ripen in the beds and produce seeds. But they have green, juicy, fragrant leaves that can be used all summer.

Choosing a place to plant greenery

To plant and care for dill in open ground, you should choose a sufficiently lit place or partial shade in the garden. It will not grow actively in the shade.
The culture develops fully on acid-neutral soils. If the soil is acidic, the dill will turn red; if it is alkaline, it will turn yellow.
The soil must be loose and fertile; on poor soils the harvest will not work.
To plant dill, choose a high, not low, place. It is advisable to prepare the land for sowing in the fall. It must be dug up to a depth of 20 cm and organic and mineral fertilizers applied. Liming of acidic soils is carried out. When digging in the spring, add 20 g of urea, potassium salt and superphosphate.
Before choosing a location, consider the rules of crop rotation:

• You cannot sow a plant where umbelliferous plants grew last year - carrots, parsley, caraway seeds, fennel, parsnips.
• Apiaceae are also the worst neighbors for dill.
• Good predecessors of greens are cabbage, beets, potatoes, cucumbers, legumes, and tomatoes.
• Dill is a plant that has a beneficial effect on the development of certain vegetables. When planting, keep in mind that the proximity of the crop will improve the taste of cabbage and increase the duration of cucumber harvesting. The spice goes well with potatoes and beets.

The influence of the umbrella plant will adversely affect the development of tomatoes, carrots, fennel, and sweet peppers.

How to choose the time to sow seeds

Lovers of fresh greens can sow seeds before winter, in winter, in early April.

• When sowing before winter, the material is deepened 4 cm into the ground.
• In winter, you should clear the bed of snow and scatter the seeds over the surface. Sprinkle a mixture of compost and soil on top. The seeds will begin to germinate when the snow melts. When the bed is free of snow cover, cover it with film.
• The frost-resistant crop is sown in early April to a depth of 0.5 cm.

To obtain greenery during the spring-autumn season, constant sowing of seeds is practiced every 10 days.

Preliminary seed preparation

Dill seeds, saturated with essential oils, may not germinate for a long time. To speed up the process, as well as to disinfect seed material, it is necessary to carry out a set of measures:

1. Sort through the material, selecting dry, irregularly shaped specimens.
2. Soak the seeds in warm water (about 50 degrees) for 3 days, changing the water regularly.
3. Place on a damp cloth and let sit until sprouts appear.
4. Dry. After drying, the seeds are ready for sowing.

Features of sowing dill

For sowing, you will need to make furrows with a row spacing of 15-20 cm and a depth of 2 cm.
Pre-dild the grooves with water.
Sow the material with a distance in the row between the seeds of 1-2 cm, water.
Dill seeds germinate at a temperature of 5 degrees. To speed up germination, cover the crops with film or agrospan.
Expect sprouts to appear in 1-2 weeks.

Seedling method of growing greens

They practice planting late bush varieties using seedlings. When growing seedlings, follow the following sequence:

1. First, you need to sow seeds for seedlings in beds in a greenhouse or boxes at home in March.
2. Upon reaching 2-3 true leaves, you can pick, which dill tolerates well.
3. Seedlings with 3-5 leaves are transferred to an open bed about a month after sowing. Transplantation is carried out in the evening or on a cloudy day to avoid damage to weak seedlings by the sun's rays.
4. The distance in the row between the sprouts is 10 cm, the row spacing is 20-30 cm.
5. After planting, watering is carried out.
6. For several days it is necessary to protect tender and weak seedlings from the rays of the sun. To do this, cover the seedlings with paper and agrofibre.

The seedling method speeds up the harvest time. Within a week, you can remove the spice sprigs from the mature bushes.

Umbrella crop care technology

If you want to have greens throughout the spring-autumn season, you should constantly sow the seeds every 2 weeks. Caring for seedlings consists of watering, weeding, loosening, thinning (at the same time harvesting), fertilizing, and protection from pests.

1. Watering should be plentiful (20-30 liters per square meter), since in its absence the taste of the spice is reduced. It is advisable to water in the evening or in cloudy weather. In dry weather, 2 waterings are organized per day.
2. The first weeding is carried out after the plant has rooted. While the seedling is thin and weak, it needs to be freed from weeds more often. Further as necessary, approximately every 2 weeks.
3. Loosening is carried out after rooting of seedlings, loosened to a depth of 5 cm to remove the crust after watering. If the soil is loose, loosening is not required at other times.
4. Thinning of dill is mandatory. If seedlings interfere with each other, they will bloom faster and green growth will stop.
5. It is advisable to apply fertilizer first, before planting. Fertilizers are not applied during the growing season; only fertilizing will be required if the plants are insufficiently developed. For example, if you see that the bush is turning yellow, it means there is not enough nitrogen and you need to add urea - 1 tsp. for 10 liters of water, 1% mullein solution.

Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are also applied - 10 mg per square meter, also preferably before planting.
Pay attention to the property of dill to accumulate nitrates. As a replacement for fertilizers, you can use nettle infusion, fermented for 5 days (used as a means to combat aphids).

How to harvest correctly

The harvest of dill greens, mature plants for preservation and seeds is being harvested.
The plant is cut only when it is young. As soon as the umbrella appears, the greens are no longer suitable for cutting. The seedling is then left for seed, for making spices, or for use during preservation.
When harvesting greens, adhere to the following rules:

• First, the rows of young shoots are thinned out.
• During development before reaching full maturity, you can remove a few leaves of dill for food, but leave enough for normal functioning.
• Before flowering begins, the entire plant is removed from the roots.

In bush varieties, in which the umbrella does not appear until 50 days, the period for collecting greens is quite long.
First, the lower tier of the bush is cut off, leaving a rosette for regrowth. Then the side shoots are plucked out from the axils, and then the entire bush is collected.
In some late varieties, the bush may not ripen before the formation of seeds. The green part is collected until late autumn.
So, the dill is ripe. The seeds in the umbrellas have turned brown. It's time to collect them. After collection, they will need to be dried. Dill seeds remain viable for up to 3-4 years.

Specifics of the dill protective system

Dill is a fairly resistant crop against diseases and pests. The plant contains a large amount of essential oils, which can be judged by its strong dill smell.
Please note that the use of insecticides on dill, which can be cut for food at any moment, is undesirable. Therefore, preventive measures are of particular importance.

Preventive measures against diseases of umbrella crops

Preventive work against diseases of dill largely corresponds to general measures for the prevention of diseases of vegetable crops. Follow the basic provisions presented in the list:

• Follow the rules for changing crops.
• In the autumn and spring, clean up the remains of previous plants in a timely manner.
• Collect seeds from healthy specimens.
• Warm up the seed for disinfection.
• Follow the plant growing technology.
• Kill weeds regularly.

Main diseases of dill and their control

Among the main diseases of umbrella plants, a special place is occupied by fusarium, blackleg, powdery mildew, downy mildew, phomosis, cercospora, and rust. Basically, these are fungal diseases that develop due to temperature changes, waterlogging, damage to roots, on poor soils, and when crop rotation rules are violated.

Fusarium wilt

The leaves are affected, which gradually turn yellow, then darken and wither.
To prevent the disease, the soil is pre-treated before sowing with biofungicidal preparations (for example, trichodermin), stimulants, humates, and microfertilizers are used.

Blackleg

The root collar at the base of young seedlings turns black and rots, which leads to 50% of seedling death.
Use a foundation solution. It is advisable to pre-treat the soil with biological products.

Powdery mildew

It affects the ground parts of dill, which become covered with a whitish coating. The quality of the spice is significantly reduced. Almost after the development of the disease, the plant cannot be eaten.
The planting should be treated with a 2% solution of colloidal sulfur (20 g per bucket of water).

Downy mildew (downy mildew)

It affects the ground part of the plant, which externally manifests itself in the form of brown spots.
It is recommended to use 4% copper oxychloride (40 g per bucket of water) or Bordeaux mixture (100 g of copper sulfate and lime per bucket of water).

Rust

You will notice the symptoms of the disease on the leaves: yellow-brown pads with fungal spores will be on the underside of the leaf.
It should be treated with 1% Bordeaux mixture or 4% copper oxychloride.

Fomoz

A sign of it will be the appearance of brown spots on the ground part and root. It is necessary to treat the plants with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture. Spray several times with a break of 2 weeks, but no later than 2 weeks before harvest. Plants will need to be washed before eating.

Cercospora

You can recognize the disease by its leaves, which are yellow with a gray coating and yellowish-brown spots. Black capsules with fungal larvae are visible on umbrellas in autumn.
Please note that antiseptic treatment of the plant is suspended at least 20 days before harvest.
As for pests, there are no dill lovers. Pests can attack a plant along with other neighboring ones. Therefore, you should just carefully monitor the garden as a whole when growing and caring for dill in open ground. Then the harvest will delight you and your loved ones with its juiciness, splendor, bright aroma and full composition of vitamins.

Every summer resident tries to allocate at least a small piece of land for growing dill. This spicy plant grows quickly and does not require special care. Many gardeners grow this crop for their own needs or for sale at the grocery market. In our article we will look at all the nuances of growing this greenery.

Not every spice bush can produce tasty, juicy and aromatic products. When choosing dill for growing on your own plot, you need to focus on its varietal characteristics and the duration of the growing season.

Early ripening varieties of dill

Popular early varieties of spices include:

Gribovsky. The domestic variety can be grown in a city apartment on a windowsill or in open ground. The plant is undemanding to weather conditions and produces a good harvest even in short, cold summers. The main advantages of Gribovsky are considered to be excellent taste, intense aroma of greens, and resistance to diseases and pests. The plant is upright, up to 25 centimeters in height, its leaves are dark green. The seeds of this dill are sown from mid to late spring or late autumn.

Aurora. The variety, popular among domestic gardeners, produces the first greens within 25 days from the moment of germination. The bush of this crop is compact, dense, the leaves are juicy and aromatic. Other advantages of aurora are high productivity and plant resistance to diseases and pests. To speed up the ripening of greenery, winter sowing of seeds is practiced.

Further. The variety with a growing season of 38 days is suitable for pickling and pickling, freezing and drying. A bush up to 25 centimeters in height with green leaves that are covered with a waxy coating. The distant variety produces good yields and is resistant to diseases and pests.

Mid-season varieties of dill

In such varieties, stems form about a week later than in early ripening ones, but this is compensated by an increased number of leaves and higher yield. In addition to greens, the spices produce umbrellas with seeds, which can be used as seasonings for various dishes.

Here is a list of popular mid-season varieties:

Lesnogorsky. The variety produces greenery throughout the summer; the raw material can be cut even after the seeds have formed. It is a high-yielding crop with large and fragrant leaves. Lesnogorsk is resistant to diseases; its greens contain a lot of vitamins A and C.

Leafy dill has a long shelf life. This is a powerful, well-leafed bush with dark massive leaves. The greens are used fresh for preparing salads, pickled and pickled for the winter. Sowing of this crop is carried out in spring, summer or winter.

Bushy variety dill with a growing season of 35-40 days forms umbrellas within 2 months from the moment of germination. The plant has good foliage and is capable of repeatedly producing greens. The heavily dissected leaves are tender and juicy and are used fresh and dried by culinary experts.

Late-ripening varieties of dill

After a long growing season, late-ripening varieties do not always have time to ripen in the beds. These crops are capable of producing lush greenery and are mainly used for growing on windowsills.

Let's take a look at the most popular representatives of late-ripening dill:

Variety Alligator Suitable for growing in greenhouses and open ground. The plant produces lush greenery, which is cut several times during the summer. The rosette of this dill is raised, the leaves are bluish with a waxy coating. Inflorescences and seeds form in late summer.

Dill. The Dutch variety of dill has earned worldwide popularity due to its special green aroma and ease of cultivation. The culture develops in any climatic conditions; the inflorescence is released late, which makes it possible to obtain the maximum amount of greenery. Bush up to 1.5 meters in height. The collected raw materials are used to add to salads, rosettes with seeds as a seasoning for canning.

Kibray. Dill has an attractive appearance. It differs from other crops in its wide dissected leaves, which when crushed create a pleasant aroma. The rosette is semi-raised, large, up to 40 centimeters in height. The leaves are a standard green color with a barely noticeable yellowish tint, covered with a waxy coating. To speed up the ripening of greenery, some summer residents practice growing Kibray under a film cover.

Pre-planting seed treatment

Experienced gardeners claim that dill seeds planted before winter germinate much faster than seeds sown in the spring. This is true, because during wintering, essential oils evaporate from the seed shells, which prevent sprouts from breaking through.

During the preparation process, the seeds are wrapped in several layers of gauze and kept in heated water at a temperature of about 50 degrees for three days. During such operations, the cooled liquid is changed at least 5 times a day. After such treatment, the grains will germinate faster.

Next, the seeds are laid out on the same gauze in a humid environment in a room with a temperature of +20 degrees. The grains are covered with sawdust steamed in boiling water and left for 2…4 days until the sprouts appear. Just before sowing, the dill is dried a little, which will prevent the seed material from sticking to the fingers. Some gardeners additionally process the seeds in an oxygenated aquatic environment. An aquarium compressor is used for this.

If there is a need to obtain greens early, you can try to grow dill seedlings and move them to open ground after the onset of stable warm weather. Of course, this is a troublesome task, but the aromatic greens in the soup in early spring are worth the effort.

Timing for sowing dill in open ground

Experienced gardeners claim that dill seeds can form sprouts at soil temperatures of +3 degrees and above, in addition, the seeds have good winter hardiness. Planting of the crop can be done in early spring after the snow has melted and the top layer of soil has dried (from mid-April to late May) or in late autumn.

Dill often propagates by self-sowing. If you do not remove all the umbrellas from the garden in the fall, the seeds will soon be scattered by gusts of wind and will germinate when favorable conditions are created. Next year in the spring, many bushes of fragrant greenery will appear in the garden.

Planting dill in open ground

It is recommended to grow bush dill from seedlings, especially if the gardener plans to get an early harvest of greenery. In this case, seeds are sown for seedlings in early March, and the plants themselves are grown on a windowsill or in a small film greenhouse. After about a month, when the crops have 4-5 true leaves, they are moved to the garden bed. Such operations are carried out in the evening, when solar activity is minimal.

To prevent subsequent thinning, bushes are placed on the site every 20-30 centimeters in both directions. After planting, the seedlings are lightly compacted with soil and the plants are watered with warm water. Next, the seedlings are sprinkled with dry soil and shaded with any available material from the scorching rays of the sun. The peduncles formed during the growing season are removed, which will stimulate the growth of young side shoots.

In the southern regions of our country, it is practiced to sow dill seeds in open ground using the scatter method or the belt method. In the latter case, shallow furrows are made in the area and the soil under them is soaked with a solution of potassium permanganate. The grains are sown at a distance of 5 centimeters from each other, maintaining a row spacing of 20-25 centimeters.

Dill can be used as an additional crop in planting cabbage, tomatoes and cucumbers. To obtain a constant harvest of greenery, plants are sown every 10-12 days.

Plant care

When grown in open ground, the crop in question does not require special care. All you need to do is thin out the plants, carry out periodic watering and fertilizing, and destroy weeds. The first time the soil is loosened after rooting the seedlings to a depth of about 5 centimeters. Further loosening is done immediately after watering every 2 weeks. Plants need weeding at the initial phase of their development. Tilling the soil will prevent the development of weeds.

Watering and fertilizing dill in the active growth phase

Spice plantings are rarely watered, because excess moisture can cause loss of taste and yellowing of the crop. In the presence of persistent drought, the soil is moistened in the evening with warm water no more than twice a week. To make work easier, install a drip irrigation system. In this case, no more than 20 liters of irrigation liquid should be used for each meter of usable area.

During the growing season, dill needs increased dosages of nitrogen. Conventional mineral fertilizers, for example, urea or ammonium nitrate, are not recommended for this purpose. It is better to use natural nettle infusion, which should ferment for 5 days. In addition to feeding, this composition protects the plant from aphid attacks.

Dill is not treated with insecticides; if there is a need for this, then the crop is treated no later than 10 days before the expected harvest date.

Harvesting and storage

Dill greens are eaten immediately after cutting. The inflorescences of the crop are used for winter storage. They are cut early in the morning immediately after the dew has disappeared. Umbrellas are tied into bundles and hooked onto a rope or nails under a canopy.

Collected greens can be stored in a wide variety of forms. One option is to wash the dill leaves and collect them in bunches. Subsequently, the raw materials are dried in a shaded, ventilated room.

Another common storage option is freezing raw materials. The greens are washed under running clean water and cut into small pieces, then dried, placed in plastic bags with snaps and placed in the freezer.

Growing dill on a windowsill

In addition to greenhouses and open ground, a dill harvest can be obtained even on the windowsill of a city apartment. To do this, you need to select a container of a suitable size, prepare seed and nutrient substrate. A wooden or plastic box or flowerpot is best suited for dill.

Preparing the substrate for growing

The plant in question can grow in any soil of low or neutral acidity. Soil preparation should begin in the fall. To do this, take any garden soil and mix it in equal parts with humus and peat. The resulting soil should be loose, which will allow the plant root system to be enriched with moisture and oxygen.

Place a drainage layer of expanded clay or small pebbles on the bottom of the boxes. Pebbles will help remove excess moisture from the root system of crops. A tray is used to accumulate water.

Sowing seeds

Sowing dill at home begins in mid-October, which will allow you to obtain tasty and aromatic herbs throughout the winter. After planting, the developing bushes should not interfere with each other, so each of them should receive a certain area of ​​nutrition. It is best to sow dill in pre-moistened soil. The liquid is poured into the pot without soaking the grooves, then the seeds are evenly distributed over the surface and covered with a thin layer of soil.

Care

Despite its drought resistance, dill develops better with periodic watering of the soil. The crop is watered regularly, especially if there is warm weather outside the window or high temperatures inside the room. The signal for subsequent watering will be when the top layer of soil in the pot dries out.

To get beautiful upright bushes, periodically turn the plant towards the sun.

During intensive green development, the crop must receive additional nutrients. Fertilizers are applied to the soil no more than once every 1.5 months. For this purpose, it is recommended to use any liquid fertilizer for indoor plants in the dosages specified in the instructions.

In winter, the days are short and the nights are long, so the plant may experience a lack of sunlight. To obtain beautiful, high-quality greens, several fluorescent lamps are hung above the dill at a distance of 50-60 centimeters.

Growing dill in a greenhouse

In a greenhouse, dill plantings can be combined with other crops or grown separately to produce greens for subsequent sale on the market. Even a novice gardener can do this kind of work, but before that you need to familiarize yourself with all the nuances of the process.

Varieties for growing in a greenhouse

The basis for obtaining a good harvest of greens in a greenhouse is the correct choice of dill variety. It should be noted that bush crops form the maximum amount of greenery, but when planting them, you need to make wide row spacing within 20 centimeters. The distance between individual plants is 10 centimeters. When using the popular Atlas variety, 35 centimeters are left between neighboring bushes.

Other varieties of greenhouse dill are also popular among gardeners, for example:

1. Brawler;
2. Richelieu;
3. Firework;
4. Sevastopol;
5. Redoubt;
6. Ducat.

Caring for all of these crops is quite simple, they have delicate leaves and are resistant to low light levels.

Temperature and humidity

When growing dill in winter, the air temperature in the greenhouse should be at +15...+17 degrees. Stable performance is achieved by installing a special heating system or heater in the room. To prevent possible heat loss, the walls are lined with thermal insulation materials. Dill grows well in cool conditions; there are also varieties that are resistant to sudden temperature changes.

To maintain the required humidity, you need not only periodic watering, but also spraying the crops with a spray bottle. Such operations are carried out every two days.

Watering and fertilizing

The spices should be watered regularly so that the soil does not have time to dry out. The earth is moistened every 3-4 days with small portions of warm water. If you do not follow this regime, the plant begins to be affected by various diseases or it forms a peduncle. When growing in winter, crops are not fertilized, because the soil is pre-filled with a sufficient amount of nutrients.

Lighting requirements

Dill is considered a light-loving plant; winter or spring sun is not enough for it to develop normally. To maintain the optimal lighting regime, fluorescent lamps are installed at a distance of 50-60 centimeters from the top of the shoots. These lighting fixtures are mounted in the center of the greenhouse every meter.

Additional lighting is turned on only in cloudy weather, as well as at the beginning and end of the day for several hours. At night, the lighting must be turned off, this will prevent the dill stems from stretching.

Harvest time

The greenery harvest must be harvested in the technical maturity phase, when the height of the bushes reaches 15-20 centimeters. Dill reaches these parameters approximately three weeks from the moment the first shoots appear. Five hours before the expected time of cutting the shoots, the plants must be sprayed with clean water. Shoots are cut to 2 centimeters above ground level

After cutting, the roots of the crops are left in the soil, they are additionally watered to form new leaves. The collected greens are carefully sorted, weeds are removed and packaged in plastic film of 50-100 grams.

Products can be stored for 10 days at temperatures from 0 to +10 degrees and air humidity at 90%.

Diseases and pests

The main diseases of dill are:

1. Powdery mildew, which appears as a whitish coating on the stems of a plant. This disease occurs in high humidity and cold weather. You can fight powdery mildew on dill using a solution of colloidal sulfur.
2. Fomoz stains the stems, umbrellas and leaves of the crop with brown spots. Hardening the seed material in hot and cold water, as well as spraying the crops with a 1% concentration of Bordeaux mixture solution, helps prevent the development of this disease. Such work should be carried out no later than 14-16 days before the planned harvest. Before cutting the shoots, dill must be washed with clean water.
3. Fusarium wilt appears on plants after 3-4 leaves have formed. Yellowish chlorotic spots form on the leaf blades, which grow in size and lead to drooping of the bushes. Intensive development of the disease is facilitated by waterlogging of the soil, as well as damage to the root system when loosening row spacing. Crop rotation or the use of fungicides for spraying plantings helps to defeat Fusarium wilt.

As we can see, caring for dill is quite simple; the main thing is to constantly monitor the plantings and identify pests or traces of diseases in time. Be sure to use the tips described in the article and you will get a rich harvest.