A Detailed Guide to Growing Dill

Dill is a universal herb known to every gardener. It is used fresh, dried, frozen. Dill and its umbrellas are stored in the kitchen. Housewives use dill for canning and pickling, for frying and boiling foods. In order not to look for fresh and tasty dill in the store, gardeners grow it on their own plot - the plant is unpretentious in its care and does not require special agrotechnical knowledge and techniques.

Features of dill

Dill saturated vitamins and minerals beneficial to the body. What is contained in greens and what effect they have on human health, we will consider further.

Chemical composition and trace elements

100 g of product contains 26 kcal, 3.5 g of protein, 7 g of carbohydrates and 1 g of fat. Greens are rich in iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and copper. From vitamins - A, B, C, E.

Benefits and harms for the human body

Dill is recommended to be consumed peoplewho have heart problems and excess weight. Greens contain essential oils that have a healing effect and help cleanse the intestinal microflora. Moderate consumption strengthens the immune system, prevents vision problems, and slows the growth of bacteria and dangerous microbes. It is recommended to use dill for people with diabetes: the greens normalize blood sugar levels.

Interesting! A mask made from dill and whey or sour cream rejuvenates the skin - whitens, removes fine wrinkles and relieves puffiness under the eyes. Also, crushed dill is added to water and frozen - such cosmetic ice cubes get rid of age spots and refresh the skin.

Due to the high content of essential oils, dill is contraindicated for people with hypersensitivity and allergic reactions. It is not recommended to eat it for those with low blood pressure.

Planting dill

How to plant dill correctly? It is planted in beds at temperatures from 0°C to +3°C. This could be early spring, summer or autumn.

Sow in spring when the snow has melted and the soil has become soft. The soil is moistened with warm water, furrows of 2-3 cm are made, two seeds are placed in each and sprinkled with soil on top. The seedlings are covered with plastic film on top - it will protect from frost. Remove the film after 5-7 days.

For summer planting, choose July or August. Sow seeds in row spacing in beds with carrots, eggplants, cabbage, and tomatoes. It is recommended to plant along the fence - the greenery prevents the germination of weeds. The planting scheme and procedure are the same as in the garden.

When planting greens in the fall, the harvest is harvested in early spring. It is important to place the seeds in the furrows, water and sprinkle with mulch - a mixture of sand, sawdust, and leaves. Mulch prevents crusting, retains moisture, and nourishes the plant's roots.

Growing in open ground

Growing dill is easy, the main thing is to follow the rules of planting in open ground, the regime of watering and fertilizing. Let's look at how to care for dill below.

Features of planting in the garden

The greens are planted densely - there should be no distances of more than 5 cm between the bushes.You can choose any beds for greenery - it can be garden paths, row spacing, corners of the plot, land along the fence.

Planted in moist soil, previously dug up, cleared of debris and weeds. The soil should be light and loose; dill prefers sandy loamy nutritious soil. Clay areas are not suitable for planting - dill will not grow.

Important! It is recommended to plant dill in soil with low acidity. To do this, in the fall, after digging the soil, gardeners add ground limestone.

Watering

Greens love moisture, so water it once every 3-4 days. The water temperature for irrigation should be at least 20°C. About 500 ml of water is consumed per plant. If the summer is rainy, the amount of water is reduced.

Moisten the soil in the early morning or evening to avoid sunburn and rapid evaporation of water. For convenience, gardeners use a drip system - it saves water and there is no need to waste time and effort on manual watering.

Features of care

At the beginning, the formation of the bed is thinned out: bushes located at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other are left, the rest are removed. Thinning stimulates the rapid and complete formation of bushes, the greenery becomes fluffy and tender.

Before thinning, the beds are loosened. Loosening makes the soil lighter and more nutritious and prevents moisture from evaporating quickly. Along with loosening, weeds are removed - they provoke the development diseases and the appearance of insect pests.

Important! Hawthorn aphids may appear on the beds. The pest feeds on leaves, leaving mucus and plaque on them, which is why the bush dries out and stops developing.For prevention, before planting, seeds are disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and during cultivation they are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture or whey.

Fertilizers

Gardeners use mineral and organic substances for feeding. It is recommended to alternate them so that the dill receives balanced and complete nutrition. Apply fertilizers before watering.

The germination, taste and commercial qualities of dill are positively affected by:

• nitrogen-containing fertilizers - an infusion based on mullein, manure or droppings;
• saltpeter, ammonia water;
• "Superphosphate" and potassium salt;
• infusion based on yeast and iodine;
• "Ammophos", "Nitrophoska".

How to grow dill without umbrellas

For planting choose bush varieties — Russian size, Dill, Umbrella. Such plants have a lush and voluminous rosette, so they are sown in spacious beds. Dill on greens without umbrellas does not bloom for a long time; the harvest is used in cooking and folk medicine.

The seeds are planted not in rows, but in small piles. Dig a 10 cm hole in the garden bed, place disinfected seeds there and sprinkle with damp soil. The care rules are the same as for other varieties.

Growing hydroponically

This technology means growing crops not on the ground, but in nutrient solutions. The roots are regularly washed with this solution, which moves through a special installation. According to gardeners, the harvest is obtained within 20 days.

Thanks to hydroponics, the plant does not need watering or fertilizers - the system does everything itself. Place hydroponics on stands in the garden or hang them in greenhouses. The disadvantage of growing dill hydroponically is the high cost of installation.

How to trim correctly

Greens are pruned in order to harvest from one bed several times during the season.How to cut dill? Gardeners recommend cutting off only the outer shoots. The central leaves, that is, the growth point, are not touched. A new harvest will appear from it in 2-3 weeks. Dill is trimmed 2-3 times during the growing period.

Recommendations from experienced agronomists

To increase productivity, agricultural technicians advise following the following recommendations for caring for dill:

• Before planting, harden the seeds - place them in the freezer for 2-3 hours every day for one week;
• plant dill annually in different areas;
• Before planting, fertilize the soil with manure, add dry sawdust or purified river sand;
• do not apply organic and mineral fertilizers at the same time;
• Collect greens as they ripen, do not overexpose them in the garden.

Conclusion

Dill agricultural technology involves following the rules of planting and care. They plant greenery in their dachas and garden plots. Dill grows on loose and nutritious soils; the beds are first cleared of debris and dug up. Water the greens with warm water, remove weeds every 10 days and thin out the beds. Dill is cut as it ripens, when the leaves become rich green and fluffy.