When to plant Dill
Computed from land-grant Extension planting-window rules (cited below), localized to real ZIP-level median frost dates, not a single national guess. These are national-generic rules by hardiness class; individual state Extension offices layer their own regional adjustment on top (earlier in the Deep South, later in the Upper Midwest). Enter your ZIP for your own dates, or read the four representative locations below.
Planting windows and crop timing here are computed from USDA/NOAA climate data and the university extension sources cited below, not a site visit or soil test. Treat this as a starting point: local conditions vary, and a local nursery or extension office can advise on your exact site. See our full Disclaimer.
Representative timing, by climate band
When to plant Dill in four US climates
Each column is the most nursery-dense location in our directory within that USDA zone band, computed from that location's own real median frost dates, not a made-up example.
| Stage |
Zones 1-5 (cold winters)
Fort Plain, NY |
Zones 6-7 (temperate)
McMinnville, TN |
Zones 8-9 (warm)
Apopka, FL |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent)
Loxahatchee, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start seed indoors | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Direct-sow outside | Mar 25–Jul 8 | Feb 24–Jun 9 | Jan 13–Apr 28 | – |
| Transplant outside | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Fall planting | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Expected harvest | May 4–Sep 1 | Apr 5–Aug 3 | Feb 22–Jun 22 | – |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent) (Loxahatchee, FL): Frost is rare here (about 359 frost-free days a year); most years see little or no hard freeze. This is a semi hardy crop. In climates like this one, hardy and semi-hardy crops typically go in during the cooler months (fall through late winter), not on a frost-relative schedule.
Dill, like cilantro, goes into the ground as seed and stays there. University of Maryland Extension notes dill "does not transplant well" (Care of Herbs and Starting Herbs from Seed). NC State Extension's Central North Carolina calendar (AG-756-01) runs the direct-sow window from six weeks before your last frost to nine weeks after it, wider than cilantro's because dill tolerates more summer heat before it bolts, though it still bolts eventually in hot weather, per UMD.
Harvest comes 40 to 55 days after sowing, per the same NC State calendar. That range covers a normal spread in sowing date across the nine-week window, not measurement uncertainty on a single planting.
Dill is bought as seed at the nursery and sown direct, for the same reason cilantro is: it does not hold up to transplanting.
Frost hardiness
Semi-hardy. Tolerates light frost. Best planted close to the last frost date.
Days to maturity
40–55
Sourcing notes
Direct-sown only; UMD: dill 'does not transplant well.' NCSU Central NC calendar: sow Mar 1-Jun 15 (~6 wk before to ~9 wk after region's last frost ~mid-Apr), 40-55 days to harvest. Bolts in hot weather (UMD).
Related crops
Growing zones for this crop
Nurseries near these locations
Sources
- NC State Extension, Central North Carolina Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs (AG-756-01) (accessed 2026-08-04)
- University of Maryland Extension, Care of Herbs and Starting Herbs from Seed (accessed 2026-08-04)