I’ve said that stones are my easiest crop in the vegetable garden each year. And that is still true. But when it comes to actual edibles, both chives and dill tie for the title.

While chives do arrive first, it’s dill that provides me with the most prolific crop—and, for that matter, several crops each growing season.

I have never planted dill in my community garden plot—not even when our garden underwent a significant renovation and 6-plus inches of new soil was added to my plot. Dill seeds have found a way to germinate despite the added soil and my intentional neglect to water them. And even so, dill provides me with lots to harvest from spring through early winter.

The first dill to appear in my garden was when I took over the plot some eight years ago. Each year I harvest what I need for recipes and such. For the remainder, I let the lovely near-fluorescent yellow flowering umbels turn to seed heads. I do harvest some umbels for pickling, but mostly the dry seeds fall where they may, where they produce yet a second crop for the season, and sometimes even a third.

About this time of year—the end of June—my first dill crop of the year has begun to bolt. That means that the feathery foliage of the plant’s youth gives way to a flowering stalk. The “good stuff” you would use for cooking is well on its way out. The dill’s flat flowering head—sort of Queen Anne’s lace-like—emerges, and beneficial pollinators such as ladybugs find food and refuge among its miniature blooms.

Too much dill?

This season’s first dill crop is bounteous, running right along where my in-garden compost pile is located. It’s become a 3 foot tall hedge, really. Frankly it’s in the way of my garden path and is threatening to intrude upon my neighbor’s plot. I really should remove most of it before it goes to seed. However, I’m torn, and here’s why:

– Beneficial insects need all the food and safety they can find. I wouldn’t want to deny them that.

– Turns out that this dill hedge is providing really good shade for my lettuces planted directly below.

– I have plans to make a big batch of dill pickles later on and could really use those umbels in a few weeks’ time.

Until then, though, I should at least trim down the dill hedge closest to my garden neighbor. Otherwise, he’ll end up with a never-ending crop of dill that he has never planted.