Dill (Anethum graveolens) is an annual herb in the carrot family. “Fernleaf” is one compact cultivar, not another name for every dill plant.
- Direct-sow in a sunny, well-drained place after severe cold has passed. Dill makes a taproot and may resent transplanting.
- Follow the packet for its cultivar's depth and spacing. Compact cultivars are shorter than ordinary dill but their final size is not identical.
- Keep the seed bed gently moist during germination, then water when the upper soil begins to dry.
- Sow a short new row every few weeks if you want a longer supply of tender leaves.
- Yellow flower umbels feed many small pollinators and beneficial insects. Leave some heads to mature if you want culinary seed or self-sown plants next year.
Dill and fennel do not pass flavours into each other merely by growing nearby. They may cross only rarely, and any genetic change would appear in plants grown from that seed—not in this year's leaves.
Use only correctly identified culinary dill, and rinse it under cool running water before eating or preparing it. Leaves are usually best fresh or frozen; mature seed can be dried.