One of the most beloved and common herbs that is used all year round is dill. It contains B vitamins, vitamin A, PP, C, phosphorus, magnesium, and is superior to legumes in the amount of calcium. To preserve the aroma and beneficial properties, it is dried, salted, pickled, and frozen. Modern materials and technologies make it possible to plant dill in a greenhouse even in winter, which makes it possible to consume vitamin greens not only in the warm season. To do this, you need to prepare a greenhouse, choose a variety suitable for winter cultivation, and familiarize yourself with the rules of planting and care.
Which varieties are best?
The yield of dill depends on the correctly selected variety. For growing in a greenhouse, varieties that are resistant to cold and lack of light are selected. Bush species that produce a lot of green mass are suitable.
Domestic varieties capable of producing large amounts of greenery include:
- Amazon.
- Kutuzovsky.
- Kibray.
- Grenadier.
- Frost.
- Redoubt.
- Carousel.
- Anchor.
- Diamond.
- Sevastopol.
Pests
Insects harm both the green mass and the root system of dill. The underground part of plants suffers from attacks:
- mole crickets;
- caterpillars;
- May beetle larvae;
- wireworm.
The above-ground part of dill suffers from:
Compliance with crop rotation, compliance with agrotechnical requirements, or the most extreme option, treating plants with chemicals will help save plants from death. Poisons should be used only when the crop is grown to obtain planting material.
Choosing a greenhouse
There is a large selection of polycarbonate greenhouses on sale with a metal body. But it has been proven that it is more comfortable for plants to grow in greenhouses made of wood. In this case, a special frost-resistant film is attached to the wooden frame of the greenhouse. You can use reinforced film, which lasts 3 to 4 years.
To heat the greenhouse, pipes are laid around the perimeter into which hot water is supplied. A solar collector made of stones is also used for heating . During the day, stones accumulate heat, and at night they gradually release it.
How to plant?
Dill is an unpretentious plant, but you need to have the necessary skills to get a good harvest. There are two ways to plant dill in a greenhouse:
- Seeds.
- Seedlings.
Seed preparation
- For better germination of dill seeds, it is necessary to carry out preliminary preparation. The seeds are soaked in hot water for two to three days, the water is changed periodically to keep it hot. This procedure is necessary in order to remove the essential oils that cover the shell of dill seeds, which contributes to their rapid germination.
- Then the seeds are germinated by placing them on a thin cloth or gauze, covered with a damp cloth on top and left for 4 to 5 days in a warm place or windowsill exposed to sunlight. In a warm, moist environment, the seeds quickly swell and germinate.
- Germinated seeds are planted in boxes or in the soil of a greenhouse.
- The soil is well moistened, loosened and grooves are made every 15 - 20 centimeters and 3 - 4 centimeters deep, then fertilizer is added to them per square meter of soil:
- potassium salt – 20 grams;
- superphosphate – 25 grams;
- urea – 20 grams.
- Sprouted dill seeds are poured into the furrows, sprinkled with a thin layer of soil, and the soil is carefully moistened from above with a spray bottle.
- For the next two weeks, the soil is moistened daily until the first shoots appear.
- When the plant grows to 10 centimeters in height, the plantings are thinned out. They pull out strong plants, replanting them in a new place or using them for their intended purpose. The remaining poorly developed shoots begin to fully develop.
Preparing seedlings
- To get an earlier harvest of greens, ready-made dill seedlings are planted in the greenhouse. To grow it, sprouted seeds are planted one at a time in cells with soil with a volume of about 50 milliliters to a depth of two centimeters, watered and placed in a warm place.
- After the emergence of seedlings, the plants are left in the cells for another two weeks, then the grown seedlings are planted in a greenhouse.
- Replanting dill from cells must be done carefully so as not to damage the root system of the plant.
- Dill bushes are planted at a distance of 25 - 30 centimeters from each other.
You can find more information about growing dill seedlings here.
Which method is better and why?
When planting seedlings, the bushes are planted at such a distance as is necessary for the full development of the plant; there is no need to thin out the seedlings.
Another advantage of the method of growing dill in a greenhouse through seedlings is the quick harvest.
Early ripening
Early varieties of dill develop umbrellas very quickly, so they are not suitable for growing green mass on a large scale. Early ripening varieties are grown mainly for their stems and umbels, used in culinary preparations. And most importantly, early dill allows you to get the first greens before the onset of summer.
Grenadier
This is one of the most famous early ripening varieties. From the first sprouts to the first green shoots ready for cutting - about a month. Umbrellas with seeds ripen in three months. Sowing seeds - in April.
Dill forms a rosette of shoots reaching a height of 30 cm. In “Grenadier” the green mass, seeds and shoots are used almost all the time while the dill is growing. The green mass is emerald, with a delicate fragrant aroma. The leaves are large, dissected. You can grow it outdoors, under cover, right in the house - on the balcony, on the windowsills.
Pros:
- high yield - up to 3.5 kg per 1 sq. m;
- unpretentiousness;
- good raw materials for processing;
- resistant to viruses;
- does not bend to the ground;
- pleasant taste with a bright dill aroma.
Gribovsky
A variety well known to gardeners. It produces abundant green mass. Productivity is high under different growing conditions. Color – dark green, bloom – bluish. Until readiness – 33-38 days. Sowing seeds - from April to July. To ensure there is fresh greens on the table all the time, seeds are sown once every 3 weeks. The finished foliage is picked after 1.5 months from the moment of sowing, for spices - after 2 months. The inflorescences are large, diameter - up to 30 m. Plant height - up to 32 cm. Harvest from 1 sq. m – 1.3-2 kg.
Pros:
- intense flavor aroma;
- practically never gets sick;
- fragrant inflorescences and other parts are used for canning;
- Highly productive in all weather conditions.
Further
An early ripening variety - suitable for greens, drying, freezing, it is also salted and pickled. Productivity is high - 2-2.5 kg/sq. m. From the moment of sowing the seeds until the first harvest, 38-40 days pass, by which time a semi-raised rosette 0.25 m high is formed. The leaves are greenish and waxy.
Pros:
- resistant to lodging;
- resistant to pests and diseases;
- After defrosting, the original taste is retained.
Redoubt
One bush of dill “Redoubt” gives 40 g of greens. Medium-sized green leaves are collected in a semi-raised rosette. The ripening period is 40 days, counting from the moment of sowing. The plant is not spreading, with a short stem, there is a waxy coating. The leaves are oblong, slightly dissected. The yield for greens is 1.2 kg/sq.m. m, spices – up to 2.9 kg/sq. m.
Pros:
- exquisite aroma of shoots;
- high yield of herbs and spices.
Umbrella
This mid-early variety was created to produce abundant green mass. The bright green leaves are collected in a small rosette. Ripens in about 40 days. Height - up to 1 m. The plant produces 13 g of herbs, spices - up to 75 g.
Pros:
- good yield;
- The variety is very aromatic.
Anchor
Compact bushes. The height of the rosette is 22 cm. Green, medium-dissected leaves. The weight of one bush is 35-40 g, cut for spices - 54-64 g. The yield of green mass per 1 sq. m - 1.3 kg, spices - 3-3.2 kg. Cleaning - from May to September. Grown in open and closed ground.
Pros:
- excellent taste characteristics;
- Suitable for a variety of purposes - drying, freezing, salting, etc.
Care
To get a good harvest of greens, you need proper care for dill plantings.:
- Dill grows well in fertile soils with neutral acidity. To increase soil fertility in the fall or in the intervals between plantings, add humus or peat to the greenhouse soil at the rate of 2 - 3 kilograms per square meter of land.
- For normal growth of dill in the greenhouse, maintain a temperature of 15 - 18 degrees.
- Ventilation is carried out periodically, avoiding drafts and lowering the temperature.
- Water the plants with warm water from a sprayer once every 5-7 days, avoiding the soil drying out or being overly moistened.
- It is necessary to regularly loosen the soil and weed out weeds. This gives oxygen access to the roots of the plant, which promotes the growth and development of dill.
- When growing dill in a greenhouse, it is fed twice a month with ammonium nitrate or peat, which is distributed at the base of the bushes.
- Since in winter and autumn the light-loving plant lacks light to grow it, it is necessary to install additional lighting in the greenhouse, extending the daylight hours for planting. At the end of February - beginning of March, when daylight hours lengthen, additional lighting is removed.
From our special publications you can learn about the features of growing dill in open ground:
- Where is it better to plant - in the shade or in the sun?
- What can the plant be planted next to?
- When is the best time to plant seeds?
- How quickly does it sprout and what does it depend on?
- Do I need to soak seeds before planting in open ground?
- After what crops will dill grow well in the soil?
Growing a rich harvest of dill in a greenhouse
Dill is a cold-resistant plant, so it can easily tolerate light frosts and low temperatures. Seeds can begin to germinate at a temperature of +3 degrees, but in this case germination may take a month. Dill seeds germinate slowly due to their high essential oil content. Therefore, in order for the seedlings to emerge quickly and smoothly, it is necessary to carry out pre-sowing treatment. The optimal temperature for plant growth is +15-20 degrees. It should also be taken into account that dill is a light- and moisture-loving crop.
You can increase the yield of dill using different methods.
Dill is undemanding to the soil - fertilizers applied when preparing the substrate are sufficient. However, an excellent harvest comes only on moisture-intensive fertile substrates. If the soil is too dry, the yield will decrease, the dill will quickly begin to form a stem with an umbrella and will lose its marketable value.
How quickly it grows and comparison with the growth rate in open ground
With proper care, the first harvest of dill planted in a greenhouse is obtained within two months after planting . Plants do not like sudden climate changes, therefore the stable temperature and humidity created in the greenhouse contribute to better growth and development of the crop in greenhouse conditions than in open ground.
To have fragrant fresh dill on the table all year round, you need to purchase a greenhouse and use the tips in the article. This is not difficult for even a novice, inexperienced gardener to do.
