this is my first year with dill and i am loving it! one problem with the smoltering heat we are having 98 yesterday my dill has started to bloom. several articles i read says not to use fresh after it blooms is this true? if so why not? will dill die after going to seed? thanks for any help : )
kelly
when dill starts to go to seed...
It will reseed itself if you leave it be.
I chewed a flower yesterday and would use the foliage as long as it's green.
Best of luck.
;)
The seeds can be used too. For instance for making pickles. You can eat the the foliage as long as you find the taste is OK. Many plants turn bitter when they start to flower that's why it's said herbs cannot be eaten after flowering. When seeds are ripe the plant will die, it's an annual.
I wasn't careful last year and now have dill sprouting all over the yard. I do NOT consider that to be a bad thing, fortunately! But if you let it get to where the flowers are turning brown and you can see seeds forming, cut the whole head and put it in a paper bag. As the seeds ripen they'll fall to the bottom and you'll have dill seeds for next year, or to use in recipes.
I went to an Indian restaurant and for after dinner "mints" they had dill seeds rolled in some kind of sugar coating. Unusual, but very tasty!
Ditto Brigidlily on the dill everywhere. I usually try to only let a few seed but it's all over the place now. I love it. The flowers are so beautiful that I love to let them bloom. One of the problems las year was that I trimmed it up and left the seed heads on the patio table instead of in a bag. D'oh!!! You can imagine.
Kelly I use it until the foliage starts to go icky. I usually try to plant a second batch to have baby dill, but if it is too hot, I don't have much luck.
It smells so nice and summer when you mow it!
Mrs_Ed, you reminded me of those dill heads on my patio table. Ruh roh...
hee! I have it in all the cracks now. Funny.
The reason I grow dill;
Salmon a complement;
1 cup sour cream
2T prepared Horseradish
1/4th cup fresh dill, minced
a pinch of Curry Powder
Mix well and refrigerate for 2 hrs before serving.
;)
I raise dill for the Black Swallowtail Butterflies. If I clip off the blooms will my plant live longer, and get bushier?
thanks for all the advise it is greatly appreciated : ) well i regret letting mine bloom i havent gotten to use the fresh dill except once or twice. mine went to flower so quickly! i guess its this heat....has been 98-99 the past few days yucky sticky heat : 0
shelia great question i wonder the same if i just cut off blooms will it prolong the dills life or will it still die since already flowered. i want dill seeds for pickling but want the foilage for fresh dill a little longer....i had no idea butterflies liked it well now that just one more reason to get more hehehe
kelly
If you cut off the flowers before the seed is set, you may be lucky and the plant will live longer to try again......
…but it does like cooler weather, so you might have some struggles.
You can certainly sow some later in the year for a fall crop.
Or if you've let seeds drop, just wait for that fall crop! It definitely does NOT like the heat but when conditions get better (here, that usually means late October) it will come back up. But it is most definitely an annual.
We had it setting in full sun on the deck; moving that puppy now! Guess I need to move the fennel too. The parsley is doing ok for now but we have plans to set them all out in the yard soon. I only cut off what I have to have each day to feed the caterpillars, but I can already see I need a second planting of dill. Thanks for the answers and suggestions.
My Fennels are exceeding six feet tall, I'm looking for some cats. to take residence so they won't be so large. Some of mine are semi-evergreen. And yes they selfsow, but it's a nice thing.
My parsley from last year is over 4 foot, but as soon as my young plants get going I need to cut it back. It keeps falling over in the wind. As long as you don't use pesticides, I don't see why you wouldn't have caterpillars. The butterflies are slow in coming this year though. I take the cats in and raise and release them before the birds, etc. get them.
This message was edited Jun 11, 2008 3:20 PM
I don't use pesticides for the sakes of the good bugs in the garden. The birds, yikes! I've a feeder to the backyard, I hate it when the two collides, birds and butterflies!
i haven't seen the first butterfly yet. i havent even though about it until you mentioned them being late this year. i have only seen one caterpillar not sure what kind as i know nothing about them but just the grayish fussy ones my kids always love to play with
The Black Swallowtail lays eggs on the Dill, Fennel, and Parsley for me. After they hatch they are black with a white stripe around the middle. In the next instar (stage) they have shed that skin and look like this one; it is only about a half inch long. As they get larger, some will have mostly green and some mainly black.
The best part is knowing that you helped protect them until they were able to fly to mate and lay more eggs.
If you want to find out more on raising butterflies in your yard, check out the 'sticky' at the top of this forum. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/bbb/all/
Sheila_FW, I'm doing the same thing with my dill, raising it for both me and the swallowtails. Last year I only had 2 dill plants. Hah! They were mowed down to nubbins, and then they went after the parsley... This year I've got 6 big dill plants, and parsley. I saw my first butterfly over the weekend, so I'm anticipating "caterpiggers" (because they eat so much) soon.
I have a FIELD of dill I swear. Still no cats though. So just me munching on it for now! My first plant is just starting to flower. I better get that bronze fennel moved soon!
Mrs Ed, do you have BSTs up there now? If you do, maybe there is a predator around. I found a whole group of tiny praying mantis on my parsley and the small green grasshoppers too. None were over 3/4th inch long. But they were hanging out near the ends of the blooms where the females lay their eggs. I haven't had any new cats in a week or so, I am betting that is why.
This message was edited Jun 17, 2008 11:32 PM
hmmm, well remember I'm a butterfly newbie. I've been seeing yellow tiger swallow tails in the area. not here at my house though. I have not seen any blacks around. I have two spiders on my butterfly weed though. I did not see any eggs. I have not seen any praying mantis either.