Fernleaf Dill Seeds

Day to Maturity: 55 from direct sow

All-America Selections (AAS) Winner 1992

If you love the tangy flavor of fresh dill weed with fish and vegetable dishes, Fernleaf Dill is the variety you must grow. Just 18 inches high, this dwarf is perfect for the kitchen windowsill or the sunny garden. Its feathery leaves are so lush and tasty that this hardworking little plant won a All-America Selection. Easy to grow and delicious.

Fernleaf Dill blooms from midsummer into fall, with flattopped blooms that may remind you of fennel. You don't have to wait to harvest the leaves, however just snip them with nail or kitchen scissors as soon as the plant has a few branches to spare, and enjoy them fresh for months on end. Fernleaf Dill is very slow to set seed, so if you want to harvest dill seeds, grow full-size dill as well.

If you want to freeze the leaves for winter flavorings, snip off the entire branch at the base and place it in a plastic bag in the freezer. Whether cutting it fresh or frozen, take just what you need, for once cut, dill does not last long in the fridge without losing much of its flavor.

In the garden, Fernleaf Dill is a nice companion to cabbage, onion, and lettuce. It is best direct sown right into the early spring soil after all danger of frost is past. Space seeds about 10 inches apart, or closer together if you plan to thin the seedlings. Enjoy this vigorous, absolutely scrumptious seasoning all year.