How to Grow Dill Indoors

Co-authored by Maggie Moran

Last Updated: November 3, 2020 References

Dill is an annual leafy herb which can be added to many savory dishes—especially soups and stews—for extra flavor. Like many herbs, dill can be grown indoors relatively easily. Dill can thrive in potting containers or pots, as long as it’s grown in the proper conditions and not overheated. Plant dill seeds in spring, so that the plants can grow in warm, sunny weather. Prior to planting your dill, purchase dill seeds, a deep pot or planter, well-draining soil, and multi-purpose compost from your local plant nursery or home and garden store.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:
Planting Dill Seeds

1
Fill a pot or planter with well-draining soil. Dill thrives in nutrient-rich soil that drains well and will not form puddles. Select a pot or planter with holes in the bottom (so the soil can drain well), and fill it at least ¾ full with soil. The pot or planter should be deep, at least 10 inches (25 cm), to give the dill’s deep roots enough room to expand.^{[1]
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- You can purchase planting soil at a local plant nursery or hardware store.
- When grown in the outdoors, dill can stand fairly poor soil.
2
Mix a multi-purpose potting compost into the soil. Compost will give the sprouting dill seeds much-needed nutrition, and help them grow well and produce plenty of leaves. Use a trowel or your hands to mix the compost and soil together in the pot or planter before adding the seeds.^{[2]
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- You can purchase potting compost at a local plant nursery.
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3
Plant dill seeds from ³⁄₄–1 in (1.9–2.5 cm) deep. Dill seeds should not be planted deeply. Use your finger to press each individual dill seed into the soil in your pot. Then run your fingers or a small hand-held rake through the soil, so that the dill seeds are lightly covered with soil.^{[3]
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4
Plant multiple seeds 12–15 inches (30–38 cm) from one another. If you’re planning to plant multiple dill seeds, give each one plenty of space so that the stalks and branches of the full-grown plants don’t become entangled. Due to this large distance, you’ll need a large planter if you’d like to grow several dill plants.^{[4]
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- Dill should sprout in 10-14 days. Once the seeds have started to sprout, do not replant the dill plants.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:
Maintaining the Growing Dill

1
Keep the dill plants around 70 °F (21 °C). When grown indoors, dill plants prefer temperatures on the cool side. So, adjust your indoor thermostat so that the temperatures hover around the low 70s.^{[5]
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- Dill plants may wilt and die if left in high temperatures for too long.
2
Locate the pot so the dill receives 5-6 hours of direct sun each day. Dill thrives in full sunlight. Place the plant in a south-facing window, or on a porch or patio that receives full sun for several hours a day.^{[6]
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- If left for weeks without enough sunlight, the dill will wither.
3
Insert a wooden stake near the base of the dill plant. As the dill grows, its stalk may not be strong enough to support the plants own weight. Help the plant by placing a stake in the soil near its base once the plant is about 1 foot (0.30 m) tall. Over time, the dill will grow around the stake.^{[7]
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Research source} Purchase a stake at a local hardware store or plant nursery.
- The stake doesn’t have to be made from any special material. A dowel would suffice, as would any firm piece of wood at least 2 feet (0.61 m) tall.
4
Water the dill plants at the soil level twice per week. If the soil feels dry, water the plant until water runs into the dish beneath the pot or planter. Water by pouring the water directly onto the soil from a height of 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm). This becomes important once the dill stalk reaches 2 feet (0.61 m), because the leaves could mildew if watered from overhead.^{[8]
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- To see if the dill needs watering, press your finger into the soil: it should be damp, but not muddy or soaking wet.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:
Harvesting Dill

1
Harvest the dill when a plant has 4 or 5 leaves. Once the dill plants are mature, you can harvest the herb at any time.^{[9]
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Research source} Or, check the calendar (assuming that you marked down when you planted the seeds). Dill will be mature about 8 weeks after the seeds were planted.^{[10]
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2
Snip the dill weed leaves off of the plant. Use a pair of sharp household scissors to cut the leafy, edible part off of the stem.^{[11]
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Research source} The edible part of the dill plant is the feathery, light leaves. You can harvest as much of the dill at once as you like, since taking a large harvest won’t damage the plant. Once the leaves are harvested, use the scissors to cut the dill leaves up as finely as you like.
- If you don’t have sharp scissors, you can use your thumb and index finger to pinch the leafy parts of the dill off of the stems.
- While dill seeds are edible, they’re used for different culinary purposes than the leaves.
3
Eat the dill or store it in an airtight container. Unlike many other herbs, fresh dill and dried dill have markedly different tastes.^{[12]
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Research source} If you prefer the taste of fresh dill, only harvest as much as you’ll eat over the span of a few days. If you plan to store some dill, keep it in an airtight container like a plastic bag. This will maintain the herb’s fresh flavor. Fresh dill will keep for a period of 2 weeks.^{[13]
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- Dried dill is also commonly stored in a small glass jar and kept in the household spice drawer or spice rack.
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Community Q&A

Question

Is it easy to grow dill?

Maggie Moran
Home & Garden Specialist
Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania.

Maggie Moran

Home & Garden Specialist

Expert Answer

Yes, it is a very easy plant to reseed itself. It can be started indoors and easily moved outside in about 4-6 weeks, but it is best grown in one place.
Question

How do you cut fresh dill from the plant?

Maggie Moran
Home & Garden Specialist
Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania.

Maggie Moran

Home & Garden Specialist

Expert Answer

It is best to use kitchen shears to cut off the leaves of the plant. After seeding, it is suggested to give it a few weeks to stabilize and grow.
Question

Is dill an annual or a perennial?

Maggie Moran
Home & Garden Specialist
Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania.

Maggie Moran

Home & Garden Specialist

Expert Answer

It is a warm season herb, and is a biennial, as a single plant only lives 2 years.
Question

What can you plant dill with?

Maggie Moran
Home & Garden Specialist
Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania.

Maggie Moran

Home & Garden Specialist

Expert Answer

DIll will help asparagus to grow and can also be planted with the various Brassicas plants as well as things like corn, lettuce, and onion.
Question

How many dill seeds do I plant per pot?

League of HunterCraft (T3K)

Community Answer

I usually do 3-5 and end up with 2-4 plants. It also depends on how big the pot is. Just plant and thin them out if you want less than what sprouted.
Question

After I harvest the leafy part of the dill plant, do I cut down the stems?

League of HunterCraft (T3K)

Community Answer

You can; as long as the meristem is undamaged, the plant should continue to grow.