Meet Grandma Einck’s Dill

Most garden enthusiasts deliberately make Diane’s Garden their first stop at Heritage Farm, Seed Savers Exchange’s headquarters just outside of Decorah, Iowa.

Year in and year out, the garden showcases many storied varieties, selected and planted by Diane Ott Whealy, SSE’s co-founder. And year in and year out, the beautiful and self-sowing ‘Grandma Einck’s’ dill (named for Diane’s grandmother, Catherine Einck) graces at least one of the garden’s many raised beds. From its large, fragrant heads to abundant, long-lasting foliage, this heirloom variety boasts much to admire—including its fabulous story, shared here by Diane herself:

“‘Grandma Einck’s’ dill is a true family heirloom. This dill, offered by Seed Savers Exchange, originated in my family’s garden in Festina, Iowa, in the early 1920s. I grew up thinking dill was only used for sweet dill pickles and was the only herb my family used.

My Grandpa and Grandma Einck owned the farm, my mother was born there, and my parents moved there in 1951. No one remembered who planted the dill in the garden—but it self-seeded each year, and my aunts would come out to our farm in the summer to harvest it for their own pickling. I belonged to a 4-H club, and gardening was an important part of the club. The county fair was always in early July, and there was not much to enter besides large bunches of dill that would always win a blue ribbon and perfume the whole exhibition hall.

In our garden, weeds were kept out from between the rows, and dill was only permitted to grow among the plants. In the late 1980s, I transplanted some plants from my parents’ garden to my garden at Heritage Farm. I am not as disciplined as my family and welcome dill to stay wherever it decides to come up each spring. I have found lovely vignettes and borders designed by Grandma Einck’s dill, and the aroma takes me back to my childhood, sweet Grandma Einck, and the Winneshiek County Fair.”

How to use and grow ‘Grandma Einck’s’ dill

Whether garnishing soups, salads, salmon, or potatoes, dill can elevate the flavor of most any dish. In fact, this self-seeding annual is great for canning or fresh use. Dill thrives in full sun and a sheltered location, protected from wind.

Direct sow seeds outdoors in rich, well-drained soil after danger of frost has passed and soil and air temperatures have warmed. Germination can be unpredictable so be patient. Plant seeds ⅛ inch deep and thin to 8-12 inches apart. Dill will readily volunteer each year from dropped seeds.