Broccoli + Dill

Broccoli and dill make a functional pairing in the brassica bed. Dill's umbrella-shaped (umbel) flowers attract parasitoid wasps, including species in the Braconidae family, that parasitize imported cabbageworm (Pieris rapae) larvae and cabbage loopers, two of the more consistent pest threats on broccoli.

Timing and spacing require some attention. Dill bolts quickly in warm weather, so setting it in at transplant time gives it a head start before summer heat pushes it to flower. In zones where broccoli runs as a fall crop, direct-sow dill 4 to 6 weeks before the broccoli transplant date so flowering overlaps with peak pest pressure. Space dill in rows alongside, not between, broccoli heads; dill can reach 3 to 4 feet and will shade transplants if positioned too close. One caution: mature dill produces allelopathic compounds that can suppress seed germination, so this pairing works more reliably with transplanted broccoli than with direct-seeded rows.