dill, dill stems and dill seeds

[Zeedman]

A weed indeed. I planted some in the strip of garden that rings my foundation; it prospers there, and provides all the dill seed I need for the year. That strip was once a tulip bed, before it morphed into a deer salad bar. The dill shares that strip with grape hyacinth & A. moly (which it follows as they die back), and is in turn followed by Zebrina flowering mallow.

The best way to grow dill is accidentally. Just scatter some seed in the Fall, in a location where it won't bother you if it takes over.

 

[ducks4you]

I have a few places like that.

 

[flowerbug]

considering i'm still trying to remove garlic from one patch where i made the mistake of scattering thousands of bulbules... years later... no, i won't be scattering dill seeds too far and wide. just a few extra plants are enough.

 

[Zeedman]

considering i'm still trying to remove garlic from one patch where i made the mistake of scattering thousands of bulbules... years later... no, i won't be scattering dill seeds too far and wide. just a few extra plants are enough.

That's funny, about the garlic. I inadvertently did something similar; in my old garlic patch, whenever the scape got too large, or a bulb looked diseased, I threw it into a wild grassy area near the garden. In 2013, all of my garlic was wiped out by disease (aster yellows). But two years ago, walking past the wild area, I spotted a couple scapes with bulbils, held above the grass. Looking further, I found perhaps 20 clusters, with a couple hundred plants! They had all survived the disease which wiped out my cultivated plantings. Should I ever again lose all of my garlic, those "wild" bulbils will be my backup.

 

[flowerbug]

That's funny, about the garlic. I inadvertently did something similar; in my old garlic patch, whenever the scape got too large, or a bulb looked diseased, I threw it into a wild grassy area near the garden. In 2013, all of my garlic was wiped out by disease (aster yellows). But two years ago, walking past the wild area, I spotted a couple scapes with bulbils, held above the grass. Looking further, I found perhaps 20 clusters, with a couple hundred plants! They had all survived the disease which wiped out my cultivated plantings. Should I ever again lose all of my garlic, those "wild" bulbils will be my backup.

learn something new every day, i'd never heard of aster yellows before... just read up on it. i don't know if i've ever seen it here.

i have had problems with other diseases on the tulips this being a foggy area too often some of them don't do very well. also botrytis gets some of the non-resistant ones... i found that mulching with wood chips has helped some plants (prevents splashing and perhaps provides habitat for other fungi/bacteria which aren't a problem). i used to have quite a variety of tulips, but many are now gone and i'm redoing those garden beds to have more space for beans.

the deer salad part is also apt for our location. we have an 8ft fence for the main vegetable growing gardens and that is also where most of the tulips were grown... the chipmunks move some around at times and other creatures too (groundhogs, rabbits...) can sometimes get in there. the chipmunks and rabbits often do a number on the crocuses. deer will too if they can get at them. i'm trying to spread them around more so at least a few have a chance of surviving. when i have extra tulips i'll move them to places outside the fence too even if i know i'm mostly doing it for deer, bunny, etc. food a few survive among the daffodils.

when i was redoing one large garden outside the fence i made the mistake of not protecting several hundred crocuses i'd moved and shortly before i went to dig them up to move them back they were almost all cleaned out by chipmunks.

none of this has anything to do with dill, but i do like dill for other reasons besides making pickles. it's a nice plant to support a few butterfly species and the lady bugs are usually all over it too.

 

[Zeedman]

Besides pickles, I use the dill seed in canned salsa (I like it better than cilantro), and in bread.

 

[digitS']

Dilly bread!

Dill has a most wonderful fragrance. I eat few pickles but I have no interest in them if they are not dill. Cloves??? And, I like licorice flavors but sour and sweet ..?

Cilantro drew me into Chinese and Mexican restaurants as a child ... like a cartoon character, several feet above the floor.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

fennel is another wonderful plant. yum. season seems to be too short here for it as if i plant seeds they barely get to bloom stage. but perhaps i am planting too late. that's ok though. Mom won't touch the stuff anyways. so instead i try to grow things we both will eat. i'll be happy enough with dill growing around. much more edible than queen-annes-lace. i've always liked cilantro too, people say it tastes like soap, it does a little to me too, but i still like it. just something different than the usual parsley. cilantro, peach, onion and hot pepper salsa is super good stuff.

a question on the dill seed, do you remove the chaff? if so how? i have half a yogurt container full and will never need all that for planting.

the garlic, i am digging it out and using it as green garlic as i go along in the spring/early summer. very good eating. when cooked, like a green onion with a hint of garlic flavor. if used raw, much more garlic flavor. i'm about 1/3-1/2 the way through the troublesome patch i mistakenly started years ago. probably have harvested a hundred lbs of garlic out of there and processed it and/or given it away. made garlic relish with it and gave most of that away too. very strong, excellent on krautdogs.

 

[aftermidnight]

I like dried dill on carrots and swedes ,added with a pinch or two of sugar and some butter or marg just before serving.

Annette

 

[digitS']

Can't imagine having to be concerned about the chaff.

i've always liked cilantro too, people say it tastes like soap, it does a little to me too, but i still like it. just something different than the usual parsley

Exactly so. It's just a matter of taste .

cilantro, peach, onion and hot pepper salsa is super good stuff.

Ohh! Okay ... I've wanted to make peach or apricot barbeque sauce but I'm so busy that time of year. A different twist!

Steve