Flavorful dill (Anethum graveolens) produces edible seeds and leaves, which are used to season salad dressings, pickles and cooked meats and vegetables. Two popular types,”Bouquet” and”Mammoth,” also called”Long Island Mammoth,” have similar growing standards and do well in home gardens. Though both varieties produce flavorful seeds and leaves, they look slightly different and therefore are best-suited for different uses.
Size Replies
“Bouquet” dill generally grows to approximately 36 inches tall, even though it might reach up to 5 feet tall in optimum conditions. “Mammoth” increases to a minimum of 30 inches, but it typically tops out at 4 to 6 ft tall. Though”Mammoth” is generally the taller variety,”Bouquet” often produces larger seeds, but”Mammoth” has bigger flower umbels, or blossom clusters. The foliage of both varieties is comparable, including the thin, lacy leaves frequent to dill.
Seed Flavor
The large seed heads of the”Mammoth” variety dwarf the bigger”Bouquet” seed heads, but both are equally productive. Each of those varieties is prized because of its new use and utilize as a spice. “Bouquet” is normally grown for its use in pickling, although it can also be used as a cooking herb. The later-developing”Mammoth” is used for pickling, refreshing use and as a dried herb. “Mammoth” can create up to 1 cup of seeds per flower head, making it more productive than”Bouquet.”
Foliage Characteristics
Both”Mammoth” and”Bouquet” create ample foliage, but the leaves of”Mammoth” have a stronger taste that makes them suitable for kitchen use. Most of the taste in”Bouquet” is focused on the seeds; its leaves are not as strongly flavored but are still edible. “Huge” leaves are bright green while”Bouquet” foliage includes a blue-green cast.
Early Birds
“Mammoth” is a late bloomer in contrast to”Bouquet.” “Mammoth” requires 70 days in prime growing conditions until its very first crop while”Bouquet” seeds might be ready for harvest in as few as 55 days. Both varieties are put into the backyard in precisely the same period in late spring after the danger of frost has passed, or in late summer to get a winter crop in mild areas. Even though”Bouquet” flowers and sets seed sooner, you can begin harvesting a few leaves from”Mammoth” even before it begins to blossom.