Garden Update #2- Dill

Well, I think there has been a total of two days of warm and sunny weather in the past two weeks. Other than those two days the weather has been rainy and miserable unless you're a duck, in that case it would be quite pleasant.

June 17, 2012 Grey Sky
Photo by: Holly Harley


As mentioned in my previous post, Garden Update, I am waiting for my corn to grow to 4 inches tall, as recommended by Renee's Garden "Celebrate the Three Sisters: Corn, Beans, and Squash." At this point in time my corn is about 3 inches in height, so only one more inch to go before I can plant my beans. Hopefully we will get some days of hot summer weather soon, or else my harvest of beans won't be very successful!  



Corn plant (Left and front) Squash (Right)
Photo by: Holly Harley

  As you can see in the photo below there are some new editions to the garden, solar powered bulrushes. You can learn more about solar power in my post "Solar Power".



Garden with the addition of solar power bulrushes
Photo by: Holly Harley

As well, I have also added dill weed plants to my garden, as you can see in the photo below.





Dill weed plants (bottom two plants)
Photo by: Holly Harley



Dill weed, also called dill, has the scientific name of Anethum graveolens. Dill is commonly know to gardeners as an annual or a biennial, meaning that it will grow for only one year or two years respectively. I choose to plant dill in my garden as it is an excellent herb that I use in many culinary dishes. I am unsure if Native Americans planted dill in their gardens with the three sisters but it seemed to fit well in my own garden.

 Traditionally, dill has been grown for thousands of years for culinary and medicinal uses where "the earliest known record of dill as a medicinal herb was found in Egypt 5,000 years ago."  Gladiators also ate meals seasoned with dill before they fought as it was supposed to give them courage in battle.

As well dill seeds were referred to as 'meeting seeds' as they were often chewed during church services to keep the congregation awake. As well, dill is said to "freshen breath and quiet noisy stomachs."

In an article "Dill Herb & Heart rate" the author Janet Renee explains some of the positive health benefits of dill weed. Dill is believed to "treat indigestion, headaches and to control heart rate." The author warns that very little clinical research has been done on the effects of dill weed so be an informed consumer and discuss your health concerns and treatments with your doctor before using dill as a treatment.

The growing conditions for dill requires the soil to be moist and in a location where the plant can get full sun for optimal photosynthesis.  Dill is sometimes susceptible to aphid infestation and root rot so it is important to keep a close eye on your plants to ensure this doesn't occur.

Personally I'm growing dill because it is a very tasty herb in a salmon or chicken dish and it can be frozen for storage, ensuring a fresh taste throughout the winter. The fact that dill is nutritional and natural is an added benefit that makes cooking with dill even more rewarding.