Let's grow your Dill shoots
Start today: no soaking needed. Your dill shoots are typically ready in 14 to 20 days.
- SoakNo soaking needed
- RinseMist 2 times a day
- Typically ready14 to 20 days
Please read the food safety box before you eat your first batch. Always cook dill shoots until steaming hot before eating.
Show me the 3 steps3 steps
Everything you need is on your pack. Here it is again, step by step.
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Prepare
Line a clean tray with a growing mat or kitchen paper dampened with drinking water. No soaking needed.
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Mist
Scatter the seeds thinly and evenly. Mist 2 times a day to keep damp, not wet.
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Harvest
Typically ready in 14 to 20 days. Cut with clean scissors, rinse and refrigerate.
- Dill is slow to start: keep the tray damp, not wet, and be patient.
- Store harvested shoots covered in the fridge and use within a few days.
Food safety
Raw sprouts and shoots can carry harmful bacteria and rinsing does not remove all risk. Always cook them until steaming hot before eating. This applies to everyone, including pregnant people, young children, older people and anyone unwell. Use clean equipment and drinking water, refrigerate harvested sprouts and shoots promptly and discard any that smell off or show mould.
- Wash your hands before handling seeds and shoots.
- Wash trays and spray bottles in hot soapy water before and after every batch.
About these seeds (from your pack)
- Ingredients: Organic dill seeds (Anethum graveolens) for growing on a tray.
- May contain cereals containing gluten, soya, celery and mustard.
- Storage: Store seeds sealed in a cool, dry, dark place.
- Country of origin: Italy.
- Organic: Certified organic by the Soil Association, control body GB-ORG-05.
Day by day
Dill grows on a tray, not in a jar, so here are the stages rather than a day-by-day diary. Day 0 is the day you scatter the seeds. Your pack says dill shoots are typically ready in 14 to 20 days. Dill is slow to start, so don't worry if nothing seems to happen for a while.
Stage 1 (day 0): Prepare and scatter
- You will see
- Small, flat, oval, light-brown seeds.
- What to do
- Wash your hands, and wash a shallow tray in hot soapy water. Line it with a growing mat or kitchen paper dampened with drinking water. Scatter the seeds thinly and evenly, so they are close together but not piled up. No soaking needed. Mist, then cover the tray loosely.
Stage 2 (first week or so): Waiting for roots
- You will see
- Not much at first. Dill is slow to start and can take a week or more to show its first shoots. Tiny white roots appear before any green.
- What to do
- Dill is slow to start: keep the tray damp, not wet, and be patient. Mist 2 times a day and keep the tray covered loosely, out of direct sun.
Stage 3 (second week): Green shoots
- You will see
- Thin stems with the first pair of narrow seed leaves. Some seed husks may still sit on the tips.
- What to do
- Once most seeds have rooted, uncover the tray and give it bright, indirect light so the leaves turn green. Keep misting 2 times a day.
Stage 4 (day 14 to day 20): Typically ready
- You will see
- Shoots a few centimetres tall with open seed leaves.
- What to do
- Cut them just above the seeds with clean scissors. Rinse, drain well and refrigerate in a covered container. Store harvested shoots covered in the fridge and use within a few days. Cook them until steaming hot before eating.
Rinse tracker
| Day | Morning | Evening | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | Scatter seeds, mist, cover loosely | ||
| Day 1 | Mist 2 times a day | ||
| Day 2 | Slow start: be patient | ||
| Day 3 |
Is it mould or root hairs?
This is the question new growers ask most. Here's how to tell.
Root hairs: fine
- Fine, fuzzy and white, just above the tip of each root.
- Usually appear once the first roots show.
- Mist them: root hairs flatten and almost disappear when wet, then come back as they dry.
- Smell: clean and fresh.
- What to do: nothing. Carry on misting.
Mould: bin it
- Often grey, green, black or blue, or white and cottony or slimy.
- Spreads over the seeds, husks and mat rather than the roots.
- Does not disappear when you mist it.
- Usually smells musty.
- What to do: throw the whole tray of shoots away, with the mat or kitchen paper. Do not try to cut around it. Wash the tray in hot soapy water before starting again.
- you see mould;
- the shoots smell sour, rotten or musty;
- they feel slimy;
- you're not sure. If in doubt, throw it out.
Keep the tray damp, not wet, scatter the seeds thinly so air can move between them, and uncover the tray once the seeds have rooted.
Not sprouting?
- No soaking needed.
- Line a clean tray with a growing mat or kitchen paper dampened with drinking water.
- Scatter the seeds thinly and evenly.
- Mist 2 times a day to keep damp, not wet.
- Dill is slow to start: keep the tray damp, not wet, and be patient.
- Typically ready in 14 to 20 days.
- Store seeds sealed in a cool, dry, dark place.
Didn't sprout? Tell us about your batch
Recipes
Dill shoots taste of fresh dill, so they suit hot dishes where you'd use the herb, such as potatoes, eggs and pasta. Every idea below cooks the shoots until they are steaming hot.
Buttered new potatoes with dill shoots
Serves 2 as a side
You need
- 400 g new potatoes
- 1 good handful (about 50 g) dill shoots
- 1 tbsp butter
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Boil the potatoes until tender, then drain.
- Melt the butter in the same pan, add the dill shoots and stir over a medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until wilted.
- Return the potatoes to the pan, toss and heat for 1 to 2 minutes more, until everything is steaming hot. Season and serve.
Scrambled eggs with dill shoots
Serves 1
You need
- 1 small handful (about 25 g) dill shoots
- 1 tsp butter
- 2 to 3 eggs, beaten
- Salt and pepper
- Toast, to serve
Method
- Melt the butter in a pan, add the dill shoots and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until wilted and steaming hot.
- Pour in the eggs and stir gently over a low heat until just set.
- Season and serve on toast.
Dill shoot and pea pasta
Serves 2
You need
- 1 good handful (about 50 g) dill shoots
- 160 g dried pasta
- 1 handful of frozen peas
- 3 tbsp crème fraîche
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Cook the pasta as the packet says, adding the peas for the last 2 minutes. Drain, keeping a splash of the water.
- In the same pan, warm the crème fraîche, add the dill shoots and cook for 2 minutes until steaming hot.
- Add the pasta, peas, lemon zest and the splash of water, toss and heat until everything is steaming hot. Season and serve.
Quick idea: stir a handful of dill shoots into a soup for the last 2 minutes and simmer until steaming hot.
Check the labels of your other ingredients, such as butter, eggs, bread, pasta and crème fraîche, for allergens.
Like your sprouts cold? Cook them first, then cool them.
Sprouts blanched until steaming hot, then cooled, in a sandwich. Image for illustration.
Blanched dill shoot sandwich with egg mayonnaise and cucumber
Serves 1
You need
- 2 slices of seeded wholemeal bread
- 1 hard-boiled egg, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon shop-bought mayonnaise
- A few slices of cucumber
- A good handful of dill shoots (about 50 g), blanched as below (the method calls them sprouts)
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil.
- Add a good handful of sprouts (about 50 g) and stir to separate them. When the water is back at a rolling boil, boil for 2 minutes, until the sprouts are soft and steaming hot all the way through.
- Wash your hands. Drain the sprouts in a clean sieve that has not touched raw sprouts, then cool them quickly under cold running drinking water. Shake off the water and pat dry with clean kitchen paper.
- Use straight away in your sandwich, or keep covered in the fridge, away from raw sprouts, and eat the same day.
- Mix the chopped egg with the mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper. Spread it on one slice of bread, add the cucumber and cooled shoots, and top with the second slice.
This recipe contains egg, which is an allergen. Check the labels of your other ingredients, such as bread and mayonnaise, for allergens. Seeded breads often contain sesame, and mayonnaise can contain mustard.
About Dill seeds
Dill (Anethum graveolens) is a feathery herb from the same plant family as fennel and carrot. Its shoots take longer than most tray seeds, typically 14 to 20 days, and they grow thin, thread-like leaves that smell of dill.
Questions
Do I need to soak Dill seeds?
No. Your pack says no soaking needed. Scatter them straight onto the damp mat or kitchen paper.
How much seed should I use?
Scatter the seeds in a thin, even layer so they are close together but not piled up.
How often do I mist them?
Your pack says mist 2 times a day to keep them damp, not wet. Mist gently so the seeds stay in place, and don't leave water sitting in the tray.
Nothing is happening yet. Is that normal?
Yes. Dill is slow to start: keep the tray damp, not wet, and be patient. It can take a week or more to show its first shoots.
Some seeds never come up. Is that normal?
Yes. A few hard seeds are normal: a small number of seeds may not sprout.
My seeds aren't sprouting. What's wrong?
Too cold: most seeds sprout well at a comfortable room temperature, around 20 to 25°C. In a cold kitchen they can take a day or two longer. Too wet: leaving water sitting in the tray can stop seeds sprouting. Drying out: if seeds dry out they can stall, so mist 2 times a day to keep damp, not wet. Seed storage: seeds kept warm, damp or open to the air sprout less well. Store them sealed in a cool, dry, dark place.
They smell bad or feel slimy. What went wrong?
Fresh shoots smell clean and fresh. A sour, rotten or musty smell, or a slimy feel, means something has gone wrong, so throw the whole tray of shoots away and wash the tray in hot soapy water. If in doubt, throw it out.
Can I grow them in a jar?
No. Your pack shows a mat, not a jar, for these seeds. Grow them on a tray lined with a growing mat or kitchen paper.
Which directions should I follow?
Always follow any directions on your pack.
How do I harvest them?
When the shoots are a few centimetres tall, cut them just above the seeds with clean scissors. Rinse, then refrigerate. Cook them until steaming hot before eating.
How do I store the shoots, and for how long?
Store harvested shoots covered in the fridge and use within a few days. Store the unused seeds sealed in a cool, dry, dark place and use them by the best before date on the pack.
Can I eat the shoots without cooking them?
No. Microgreens and shoots grown on a tray must also be cooked thoroughly until steaming hot before eating. Please read the food safety box above.
What do I need?
A clean shallow tray, a growing mat or a few layers of kitchen paper, clean drinking water and a spray bottle for misting.