Do you think it’s impossible or very difficult? No! Of course, you need to work a little, but fresh and fragrant (and healthy!) greens will be on your table every day.
So, let’s talk about dill: how to sow, grow, harvest for the future, which varieties and for what are valued.
Sowing of dill
Sow dill from early spring to late autumn. According to the rules, the beds are prepared for him in advance, digging up the soil by 20-25 cm (7.9-9.8 in) and applying organic fertilizers. This is enough: nutritious soil, sunlight and timely watering will provide the plant with everything necessary.
I am not in favor of pouring fertilizers right and left, especially mineral fertilizers. There is an opportunity to do without them – I will not use them for anything. Why do I need a meter-high dill with stems as thick as my arm? Let it be less, but – useful!
The time of sowing
Spring: dill seeds germinate at a temperature of +3 °C…+4 °C (37.4-39.2°F), so feel free to sow as soon as the cold weather passes. It is necessary to sow in moist soil, do not water after planting. Make grooves 2 cm (0.8 in) deep, put the seeds there and sprinkle them with moist soil on top. If there is a threat of the return of cold weather, the seedlings are covered with any covering material for the night.
Autumn: before sowing for winter, when the temperature is lower, and dill seeds will not germinate in autumn. It is better to mulch autumn crops so that a crust does not form on the soil during the winter, which will prevent thin shoots from rising in the spring. According to experienced gardeners, the harvest of dill autumn sowing is much better than spring: the plant is less susceptible to diseases.
Place of sowing
Only a sunny place. Otherwise, the plants will stretch out, turn pale, and lose some of their useful properties.
Dill care
Weeding and watering. And that’s it)
Propagation of dill
Seeds. Maybe other methods are suitable, but they have never been used by me personally in my life – it makes no sense!
Varieties of dill
I confess, I have no idea what kind of dill grows in my garden. It was sown a long time ago, since it proved itself, it yields twice a year. I was not interested in new varieties, but in vain! It turns out that there are early-ripening, medium- and late-ripening varieties of dill!
Each variety has its own characteristics, but one thing unites them: dill is a storehouse of vitamins! How to make sure that his fresh greens are on your table all winter? Sow the dill in indoor containers or large pots. As soon as the shoots appear, they need to be thinned, leaving a distance between the shoots of 5 cm (2 in), and be sure to illuminate with a fluorescent lamp (at least 12 hours a day). Observing these simple conditions, you will get strong, well-leafed bushes of fragrant greenery.
Don’t you want to grow dill in indoor conditions, or is there no way to do it? It doesn’t matter, dill can be harvested for the future! Dry, salt, freeze! I tried all the cooking methods and came to the conclusion that freezing is the best option. Why? Dill does not change the natural smell and color, preserves the biochemical composition to the maximum extent, and the time spent on harvesting is minimal!
How to do it? Wash the dill leaves and dry them on clean towels. Finely chop it, put it in containers and put it in the freezer. Done!
According to nutritionists, eating only 50 grams (1.8 oz) of dill a day will prolong life for 5-7 years, and it also has a very beneficial effect on our body!