Fothergill's Dill Seeds

Details:

• Botanical Name: Anethum graveolens, a premium, high-yielding and highly fragrant selection within the culinary herb family.
• Plant Class: Hardy Annual, establishing with exceptional speed from a spring sowing to deliver quick, heavy pickings of aromatic foliage in the same season.
• Distinct Aniseed Flavour: Yields beautifully soft, fern-like green leaves packed with a delicate, refreshing blend of sweet aniseed, citrus, and celery notes.
• The Ultimate Culinary Accompaniment: The definitive herb pairing for classic fish dishes—especially salmon—as well as chicken, creamy potato salads, homemade vinegars, and summer yogurt dips.
• Powerful Companion Plant: Highly celebrated as a natural protector in the kitchen garden; the strong essential oils emitted by its feathery foliage naturally help to confuse and deter Carrot Root Fly, making it an invaluable partner when interplanted with carrots and parsnips.
• Cottage Garden Architecture: Naturally forms an elegant, upright, and airy framework reaching a mature height of 60cm (24in). Left to mature, it produces beautiful, flat umbrella-like heads of tiny yellow flowers that add immense charm to cottage borders.
• Wildlife Magnet: The large, flat summer flower umbels act as a premier fuel station for beneficial insects, drawing in honeybees, bumblebees, hoverflies, and predatory ladybirds to help control garden aphids.
• Indoor & Outdoor Versatility: Features a highly adaptable nature; grows successfully all year round on a bright indoor kitchen windowsill, or outdoors in open beds, raised allotments, and patio herb containers.

Care Instructions:

• Sowing Position: For outdoor crops, sow seeds thinly directly into their final growing positions from April to July into finely raked, well-drained, and weed-free soil. Position in full sun. For a continuous, year-round supply of fresh leaves, sow small batches indoors on a warm, bright windowsill from January through to December.
• Avoid Transplanting: Dill features a delicate, sensitive taproot and strongly dislikes being moved once established. For the best results, always sow the seeds directly into their final garden positions or patio pots rather than transplanting them.
• Thinning & Maintenance: Once outdoor seedlings emerge, thin them out gradually to space the plants roughly 15–20cm apart. Keep the soil consistently moist, especially during dry summer spells. If you are growing primarily for the feathery leaves, pinch out any emerging flower buds early to keep the plant's energy focused on leaf production.
• Harvesting Tip: Snip the fresh, feathery leaves continuously as required throughout the summer, picking from the top of the plant to encourage bushier regrowth. If left to mature, the large seed heads can also be harvested in autumn, dried, and used whole in traditional pickling recipes.