Dill is a great addition to any home garden and kitchen. As such, saving dill seeds should be on your to do list. Dill is better known as a culinary herb but it also has other uses in the garden.
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Dill is a good pest deterrent for your garden. It helps to deter common garden pests like Spider Mites, Squash Bugs, and Aphids. Dill is an excellent companion plant for Corn, all types of Brassicas (Cabbage, Broccoli, Kale), Cucumbers, Lettuce, and Onions.
We like to plant dill all over our garden wherever we have extra space near its companion plants, which makes saving seeds even more important. Luckily saving dill seeds is an easy venture to take on and you can get hundreds of seeds from only a handful of plants.
Let The Dill Plant Flower
Saving dill seeds starts when you initially plant your dill into the garden. Since dill in an annual, it wants to go to seed. It can be harvested all season and then left in the garden at the end of summer and it will do everything it can to grow flowers and go to seed.
Dill is self pollinating so after a short period of time the dill flowers will start to dry out and begin to turn into seeds. Once the drying starts the whole process will take a week or two before seeds are visible.
How To Save Dill Seeds?
As soon as the seeds develop you are able to start harvesting them. Cut the stem below the seeds and place them into to a paper bag if they need more time to dry.
When the seeds are fully dry, use your finger to slide down the stem of the dill to gently remove the seeds from the stem and into a bowl.
How Do You Clean Dill Seeds?
When removing the seeds from the stem you are bound to get some extra chaff in the bowl with the seeds. The easiest way to clean the seeds is to winnow them using a small fan.
Winnowing is a commonly used method of removing debris from seeds. To winnow you need two bowls and a fan. Set the fan up outside and turn it onto a low setting. It can take some tests to make sure the fan is at the right speed and you are the right distance from it. Poor the seeds from one bowl into the other in front of the fan. Seeds are heavier than the chaff and will fall into the bowl below and the chaff will blow away.
A little bit of chaff left after winnowing a few times it’s OK. You’re not trying to sell these commercially so they don’t need to be perfectly clean.
How To Store Dill Seeds?
Once the seeds are dry, you can store them in a clean, dry container. Glass jars with tight-fitting lids work well for storing dill seeds or you can simply use a resealable plastic bag. Make sure the container is labelled with the date and the type of seed.
Store the container in a cool, dry location, such as a pantry or a cupboard. Properly stored seeds can last for up to five years. Before we put away our seeds for final storage for the year I like to add a silica gel packet to make sure they stay nice and dry.
Conclusion
Saving dill seeds is an easy and cost-effective way to ensure a steady supply of fresh, healthy produce. By following these simple steps, you can harvest, clean, dry, and store dill seeds to use for planting in the next growing season. With a little bit of effort and patience, you can become self-sufficient and enjoy the benefits of growing your own dill.
I hope you enjoyed this seed saving guide. If you did make sure you check out the other growing guides, seed saving guides and our recipes. We are growing our website with more articles all the time, and we invite you to grow with us. If you have any questions about dill or would like to share some of your knowledge with us please leave a comment below.
