In many local food dishes, especially vegetarian ones, there is one unique ingredient which adds an incredible, strong aroma and a somewhat slightly tangy aftertaste: dill, locally known as soya or soye saag.

A small bunch of dill can add a kick to dishes like fenugreek with potato (aalu methi), lentils, spinach curries or seasoning for your fish.

Dill, scientifically known as Anethum graveolens, is a part of Apiaceae family and the variant found across the Subcontinent is scientifically known as Anethum sowa.

Dill is an annual herb and more of a weed in its growth, since it is invasive in nature and spreads very quickly. The dill herb has slender stems with green leaves which are aromatic. Both its leaves and seeds are edible. Historically, the herb was widely used both in cooking and for its medicinal properties for different ailments, like insomnia, bad breath and issues related to the gastrointestinal tract.

Dill seeds should be easily available at your nearest grocery store, as they’re edible. Dill seeds are oval shaped and brown in colour, with lighter coloured stripes running the length of the seed. Ideally, in gardening practice, the seeds are usually sown in depth that is twice the size of the seed. Since the dill seed is relatively thin and light, it should be sown a half inch into the ground.

Cuisines all over the world use dill in their recipes and it is easy to grow too

The best time to sow dill seeds is between the end of summer to the beginning of winter. The soil should be fertile and well-drained. While you can plant the seeds in the ground, I highly recommended growing them in pots or containers. Once the seeds start bolting, they tend to spread in adjacent area, sometimes resulting in unwanted excess dill plants capturing your gardening space.

The roots grow to a maximum of six inches, which makes them an ideal choice for gardening enthusiasts who live in apartments.

Depending upon the seed, weather conditions and soil quality, the dill seed germinates within seven to 15 days of sowing. Dill plants abhor transplantation from one place to another, so sow them in a place where you can continue their growth. If you have to transplant the dill plant, it should be done when the true leaves have grown on the stem.

The dill plant thrives well in warm, sunny conditions. It should have direct exposure of sunlight from early morning to noon. Like every other green, leafy vegetable, dill too, requires generous watering too. However, the soil should be well-drained so that the roots can grow properly.

With growth of the first true leaves, the dill plant should be provided with any organic nitrogen-based fertiliser. In early stages of plant development, the nitrogen content of the fertiliser should be limited and it should be increased with the rise of foliage. Home-based gardeners should use decomposed cow manure, decomposed chicken manure, fish meal, blood meal or any other organic nitrogen based fertiliser. Frequency and quantity of fertiliser should be kept in check and as per the instructions provided by the fertiliser seller, otherwise the plant has a tendency to succumb to excess nitrogen toxicity.

Depending upon the growing space and spacing between plants, the size of the plant also varies accordingly. The plant matures and is ready for harvest within six to eight weeks of the seeds’ germination. A single plant can give you a number of harvests throughout the season.

The dill plant bolts naturally in summers. At this stage, it produces beautiful yellow flowers which attract natural pollinators like bees. I recommend that, after the bolting of the dill plant, its pot should be shifted near summer vegetable plants and vines to facilitate their pollination.

The flowers can also be left on the plant to dry up and the seeds can be harvested for the planting in the next season or for your own consumption. To get better quality seeds, I recommend replacing nitrogen with potassium-based fertiliser during the flowering stage.

Please send your queries and emails to doctree101@hotmail.com. The writer is a physician and a host for the YouTube channel ‘DocTree Gardening’ promoting organic kitchen gardening

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 18th, 2022