What Are the Best Companion Plants for Dill?
Dill grows best with tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, kale and cabbage. 8 plants in our chart pair well with dill, mostly by attracting pollinators and beneficial insects; 8 of those pairings are research-supported.
| Plant | Why | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| TomatoesPollinators & beneficials | Flowering dill feeds hoverflies, lacewings and parasitic wasps that prey on tomato pests. Keep it a few feet away: tradition holds, without evidence, that mature dill slows tomato growth. | Research-supported |
| CucumbersPollinators & beneficials | Flowering dill attracts hoverflies, lacewings and parasitic wasps that attack aphids on cucumbers; the two also share a season and a pickle jar. | Research-supported |
| ZucchiniPollinators & beneficials | Flowering dill feeds hoverflies and parasitic wasps that attack aphids on zucchini and brings pollinators to the bed. | Research-supported |
| KalePollinators & beneficials | Flowering dill feeds the parasitic wasps and hoverflies that attack cabbage worms and aphids on kale. | Research-supported |
| CabbagePollinators & beneficials | Flowering dill feeds the parasitic wasps and hoverflies that attack cabbage worms and aphids on cabbage. | Research-supported |
| BroccoliPollinators & beneficials | Flowering dill feeds the parasitic wasps and hoverflies that attack cabbage worms and aphids on broccoli. | Research-supported |
| CauliflowerPollinators & beneficials | Flowering dill feeds the parasitic wasps and hoverflies that attack cabbage worms and aphids on cauliflower. | Research-supported |
| LettucePollinators & beneficials | Flowering dill feeds hoverflies whose larvae eat lettuce aphids. | Research-supported |
Good companion plants for dill, strongest evidence first.
What Should You Not Plant With Dill?
Don't plant dill near fennel and carrots. The conflicts come mainly from cross-pollination and a traditional claim of stunted growth; 1 of the 2 is research-supported and the rest are practical or traditional rules.
| Plant | Why | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| FennelCross-pollination | Dill and fennel can cross-pollinate, producing off-flavored hybrid seedlings; plant them far apart if you save seed or let them self-sow. | Research-supported |
| CarrotsClaimed growth inhibition | Dill and carrots are relatives, and garden tradition says mature dill slows carrot growth; there's no good evidence either way. | Traditional |
Plants to keep away from dill.
Which Dill Companion Claims Are Backed by Research?
9 of the 10 dill pairings in our data are research-supported: tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and fennel. Of the rest, none rest on practical horticulture and 1 is a traditional claim.
Research-supported pairings rest on documented biology: shared pathogens, pollination, nematode suppression or insects that feed on specific flowers. Practical pairings are plain logic about space, shade and timing. None of the good companions for dill rely on folklore alone.
How Should You Plant Dill With Companions?
Grow dill in clumps at the ends of cucumber and brassica beds and let some plants flower. Keep it at least a bed away from fennel and carrots.
Companions still need room of their own, so work out how many dill and partner plants fit in a bed with the plant spacing calculator. Planting dates for dill and its companions follow your local spring and fall frost dates, so cool-season partners can be sown together in early spring or late summer for a fall crop.
Watering, feeding, light and harvest timing for dill are covered in the dill plant care guide.
Which Crops Share Companions With Dill?
Cucumbers, cilantro and fennel share companion plants or growing conditions with dill, so their companion guides help plan the same bed or rotation.
- The guide to companion plants for cucumbers overlaps with this one: both crops grow well with lettuce, and cucumbers are a good companion for dill too.
- The guide to companion plants for cilantro overlaps with this one: both crops grow well with kale, cabbage and broccoli; as members of the same plant family, the two should rotate together.
- The guide to companion plants for fennel covers a crop grown in similar conditions, but fennel and dill should grow in separate beds.
To check dill against every other plant at once, or test a whole bed plan, use the companion planting chart and garden checker.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the best companion plant for dill?
- Tomatoes are one of the best-supported companions for dill. Flowering dill feeds hoverflies, lacewings and parasitic wasps that prey on tomato pests. Keep it a few feet away: tradition holds, without evidence, that mature dill slows tomato growth.
- What should you not plant with dill?
- Avoid planting dill near fennel and carrots. The most important conflict is with fennel: Dill and fennel can cross-pollinate, producing off-flavored hybrid seedlings; plant them far apart if you save seed or let them self-sow.
- Can you plant dill and cucumbers together?
- Yes, dill and cucumbers are good companions. Flowering dill attracts hoverflies, lacewings and parasitic wasps that attack aphids on cucumbers; the two also share a season and a pickle jar.
- Does companion planting really work for dill?
- Partly. 9 of the 10 dill pairings in our data are backed by research, none are practical space or timing rules, and 1 is traditional. Flowers that feed beneficial insects and separating crops that share diseases have the strongest evidence.
Companion data: PlantoScan's own editorial compilation, written from general horticultural knowledge, plant pathology and published intercropping research. Evidence labels are our editorial judgment; results vary with climate, soil, variety and pest pressure.