How should dill be planted to provide the family with fresh herbs all year round?
Dill is a healthy, vitamin-rich plant that is simply irreplaceable in cooking and medicine. It belongs to one of the most unpretentious plants and does not need special care. But still, there are certain recommendations on how to plant dill in order to get thick aromatic greens and enjoy fresh seasoning for a long period.
How to plant dill?
- choosing a suitable place;
- soil preparation;
- fertilization of the soil;
- abundant watering.
Dill is a photophilous plant that does not grow well in the shade. Plants can grow very thin and pale when there is a lack of sunlight. Therefore, to get a good harvest, it is recommended to sow dill in well-lit areas. Preparing the soil includes its obligatory digging, which is carried out in the fall, or in the spring before planting. The soil must be loose to allow good moisture and air penetration to the sown seeds.
Dill is best planted in fertile, organic-rich soil. To do this, humus must be added to the soil (half a bucket per 1 m²). In the absence of humus, diluted mullein or bird droppings are used as fertilizer. The plant loves potassium and phosphorus, therefore it is recommended to add ammonium nitrate to the soil, potash fertilizers and superphosphate. Top dressing of the soil can be carried out in the fall, during digging, or in the spring, before planting seeds.
It should be borne in mind that acidic and heavy soil, despite digging and fertilizing, is not at all suitable for growing dill.
Dill loves moisture, so it is necessary to carefully monitor so that the earth does not dry out. And the sowing of seeds must be carried out exclusively in moist soil. Dill is planted in April, then sowing is repeated every 15 days to ensure a constant harvest.
Seedlings tolerate frosts well down to -5 ° C. However, sudden changes in temperature (cold snap or sudden heat) can suppress plants. Therefore, if there is a possibility of frost, it is advisable to cover the seedlings with plastic wrap. Shrub varieties can be planted through seedlings. To do this, plant one seed at a time in small containers filled with peat, and then plant the bushes in the greenhouse.
How to sow dill correctly?
Before planting, seeds are soaked or sown dry. Soaked seeds will germinate faster, and seedlings from dry seeds are much better adapted to weather conditions.
So that the plants develop evenly, without suppressing each other due to tightness, dill is sown at the rate of 1 g of seeds per 1 square meter of land.
How to sow dill correctly:
- First, you need to prepare a bed for planting, fertilizing it with a layer of well-rotted humus, about 15 cm thick.
- The site for planting dill should be watered abundantly and left for 1-2 days for the soil to shrink.
- In a wet bed, furrows are made about 5 cm wide and watered abundantly.
- Dill seeds are sown in a zigzag manner along the furrow and buried in the ground to a depth of 1–2 cm. From above they are sprinkled with a thin layer of soil or humus. The planted seeds are no longer watered, so as not to wash them very deep into the ground.
After a couple of weeks, the first shoots germinate, which need to be thinned out, keeping a 5-10 cm gap between the plants. Care must be taken to prevent thickening of the plantings, because dill may stop growing. In hotbeds and greenhouses, dill can be sown along the perimeter of the passage, as well as at the north wall. High air humidity promotes plant growth and juiciness.
Can dill be planted in July?
Planting of almost all garden crops occurs in the spring season, including dill. But for most lovers of this delicious seasoning, the question is relevant: is it possible to plant dill in July, will it have time to grow and ripen? Dill is good forthat it can be sown throughout the summer cottage season, from spring to autumn. However, summer planting has some peculiarities.
The beds are usually already filled with other plants. Therefore, it is necessary to find the right neighbors for dill. The neighborhood with cabbage is best for him, cucumbers and tomatoes. The essential oils found in dill will significantly improve the taste of these vegetables and get rid of some harmful insects. And the fertile and well-fertilized soil under them is great for the successful germination of dill.
Summer dill is not recommended to be planted in greenhouses and greenhouses. Under these conditions, it will not be as fragrant and will wither very quickly after being cut.
Another nuance, if you sow the seeds dry, then they can sprout only after 15 days. Therefore, sowing dill in summer requires soaking the seeds.
How to plant dill so that it sprouts quickly?
First, let's figure out how many days the dill rises. At an air temperature of + 5 ° C, dill usually rises in 14–20 days. In a warmer period, at a temperature of + 20 ° C, seeds germinate in 10-15 days. But in some cases it is necessary to hasten the germination of seeds. Therefore, the question arises: how to plant dill so that it sprouts quickly?
To do this, you must take the following measures:
- place dill seeds in a gauze knot, hold for 1-2 minutes in hot water (60 ° C);
- then put in water at room temperature for 2-3 days. Every 8 hours, the water should be changed, and the dill seeds should be washed. Or pass air through the water throughout the day using an aquarium compressor;
- then dry the seeds before planting.
Thanks to these procedures, essential oils, which prevent germination, are washed off from the seeds, and after planting the dill germinates already on the 4-6th day. Seeds are sown in moist soil, covered with a thin layer (5 mm) of peat, humus and sand on top. Soaked seeds do not need additional watering. Dill planted in this way is cut off after 30 days, when it grows to 20 - 25 cm.
Sometimes in a conversation with other summer residents, you can learn a lot. Experienced gardeners say about dill that it grows like a weed, and there is no need to take up space for it. Others cannot grow spicy greens in the garden. The reasons lie in the composition of the prepared soil. Dill does not like ash fertilizers and powder. But he is ready to take pickled nettles every week, he himself thrives, and the aphids avoid him. And what grows like a weed is Gribovskaya early, with a small number of leaves. Self-seeding goes quickly to the seed basket. Therefore, you need to plant additional bush varieties in order to be with greens all summer. It's not too late to sow another bed in August. Dill manages to give several brooms if it is covered from frost on cold nights. The plant will not freeze, but the young leaves will turn red and the tips will begin to dry out. In winter, it is better to use frozen dill than to buy greenhouse stuffed with nitrates. He does not even wither from the large amount of salts on which he was raised.
Thank you for the article.It is told in great detail about our beloved dill. It is advisable to remember that if it is needed for salting, then plant such dill in the spring. But for young greenery, for harvesting fresh dill for the winter, you can grow all summer. Now it is raining and fluffy and juicy dill is growing! Delicious!