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Fennel plant care


How to Grow Fennel Plants

Fennel is a beautiful herb to have in the garden. Feathery and fern-like, it adds both color and texture to your plantings. It also boasts a strong, licorice-like flavor. Fennel is a tender perennial, which means the plant may make it through the winter in warm areas, but is sensitive to cold. Most gardeners grow fennel as an annual.

Fennel is a beautiful herb to have in the garden. Feathery and fern-like, it adds both color and texture to your plantings. It also boasts a strong, licorice-like flavor. Fennel is a tender perennial, which means the plant may make it through the winter in warm areas, but is sensitive to cold. Most gardeners grow fennel as an annual. Be sure to look for vigorous young fennel plants from Bonnie Plants®, the company that has been helping home gardeners succeed for over a century.

Some varieties of fennel are grown for their leaves, and others for their bulbs.

Quick Guide to Growing Fennel

Soil, Planting, and Care

Fennel prefers soil that is fertile and drains well. Before planting, enrich your existing soil by mixing in compost or Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics®All Purpose In-Ground Soil. If growing in pots, fill them with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose Container Mix. Both Miracle-Gro products are enriched with aged compost and provide just the right organic nutrition to get plants off to a strong start. Fennel is a sun-loving plant, so plant it where it will receive at least 6 hours of direct sun.

Plant fennel after the last spring frost. This plant can tolerate light frosts, but needs protection when young. Use a frost cloth to cover. When planting, space fennel seedlings from 4 to 12 inches apart, depending on variety. (Check the plant tag for more information.)

Be sure to keep soil consistently moist. Water regularly, giving plants at least an inch of water per week (more in hot weather). Stick your finger into the soil to check moisture; if the top inch is dry, it's time to water.

For best results and super-strong growth, you'll want to build on the nutritional foundation provided by starting with great soil. Regularly throughout the growing season, give your fennel and other plants (as well as the beneficial microbes in the soil) a boost of nutrition, once a week, with a water soluble plant food like Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition. Continue to feed every 1 to 2 weeks, following label directions.

Once blooms begin to appear, you can either pinch them to prevent the plant from going to seed, or just go ahead and let it flower, to attract beneficial insects

Troubleshooting

The main pest that seems to bother fennel is the parsleyworm, which looks like a green caterpillar with black and yellow bands. Check leaves regularly, and hand-pick worms as soon as you see them, to prevent them from eating the foliage. Or consider leaving them be, if you don't mind sharing your harvest. Parsleyworms turn into black swallowtail butterflies, which are good pollinators.

Harvest and Storage

You can harvest fennel leaves anytime during the growing season – the more you trim it, the bushier it will become, leading to more and bigger harvests for you. Be sure not to trim more than a third of the plant when you harvest. Some types of fennel also produce bulbs, which can be harvested once they measure several inches across. Leaves can be kept on the counter with cut stems in a glass with water. Unwashed bulbs can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.

Uses

Leaves and seeds have a sweet anise flavor, somewhat like licorice. Use leaves in salads, coleslaw, soups, and stews. Bulbs can be sliced for use in salads and side dishes, or roasted to mellow the strong flavor. Fennel flowers are edible, and make wonderful garnishes for fish, meat, potato, and tomato dishes. Fennel stems also look wonderful in fresh bouquets.

Fennel makes an eye-catching backdrop to lower growing herbs in an herb garden.

Fennel Growing Fennel Herb Garden Herb Gardening Herbs How-To Grow Fennel

How to Grow and Care for Fennel in Your Herb Patch

Foeniculum vulgare

Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, is an aromatic Mediterranean herb in the Apiaceae (Umbellifer) family that includes carrots, celery, dill, and parsley.

The edible yellow blossoms, seeds, feathery leaves, pollen, roots, and stems have long been prized for their robust, anise-like fragrance and flavor, and their usefulness as ingredients in cooking, magical potions, and traditional medicine.

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The vulgare species is the sole member of the Foeniculum genus.

Within it, there are numerous subspecies and cultivated varieties, such as common fennel, F. vulgare ssp. vulgare, and bulb-forming Florence fennel, F. vulgare var. azoricum.

F. vulgare is a prolific self-sower, so much so that the common variety has naturalized to the point of being invasive throughout California and the West.

If you grow the common type, you can prevent its spread by removing flower heads before they run to seed.

The Florence variety is usually harvested before the flowers grow, so it is less likely to self-sow.

In this article, I will cover how to cultivate and harvest both common and Florence fennel in your garden.

What You’ll Learn

Remember to consult with your local agricultural extension service before adding fennel to your herb garden.

And please note:

It is possible to be allergic to F. vulgare. Per the Mayo Clinic’s patient healthcare on food allergies resource, if you are allergic to birch or mugwort pollen, and suffer from “oral allergy syndrome,” you may react adversely to fennel consumption.

In addition, if you have known food allergies, particularly to peaches, you may be unable to consume any part of this herb safely.

And finally, some people may experience skin irritation from physical contact with this plant.

Cultivation and History

F. vulgare has upright, branching growth, finely feathered green leaves, and yellow blossoms in flattened “umbels,” resembling those of other Apiaceae family members.

There are two subspecies of F. vulgare:

These are wild plants that grow readily along hardscrabble coasts and roadsides.

The distinguishing characteristics are that the first has short leaves and very bitter fruit (seeds), and the second has longer foliage and a somewhat less bitter flavor.

Within the less bitter capillaceum subspecies are three varieties:

The vulgare variety, as mentioned, is common fennel, aka sweet or wild fennel. Some have green leaves, while bronze types have foliage with a smoky purple cast.

The bronze-leafed ones are better suited to garden cultivation than their more aggressive wild ancestors.

The dulce type has even sweeter seeds that offer the best flavor when pressed to extract their aromatic essential oils.

And finally, there’s F. vulgare var. azoricum, aka Florence fennel, grown for its crisp, celery-like bulbs bursting with anise-like flavor.

In my family, this vegetable has always been a holiday treat known by its Italian name, “finocchio.”

F. vulgare varieties are cool-weather crops that perform best when planted in either early spring, or late summer to fall. It takes 60 to 90 days for them to mature.

The common type is a self-sowing biennial or short-lived perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9. Sometimes it can be successfully cultivated in Zones 4 and 10, as well.

It generally reaches a mature height of three to five feet, but may grow as tall as six feet, like its wild predecessors.

Flowers bloom in mid to late summer.

The Florence (bulb) variety is also a biennial or short-lived perennial that is commonly grown as an annual in Zones 5 to 9.

It grows to a shorter height of two to three feet.

If the bulbs are harvested young, at about four inches across, the plants usually don’t flower, and no seeds form. With a late harvest, or no harvest, flowers may bloom in late summer and self-sowing may occur.

With origins in the Mediterranean region of Europe, fennel has been a culinary, medicinal, and magical arts staple for millennia across Europe, as well as Egypt, China, and India.

It found a welcome place in the kitchen, where the stems, leaves, and fruits were used in recipes to mask poor quality food with the pleasant aroma exuded by its aromatic compounds.

Throughout the Middle Ages, traditional practitioners believed it was capable of curing ailments ranging from anti-inflammatory to GI and pulmonary problems.

In superstitious circles, the mere presence of the herb was thought to ward off evil spirits and render witches’ spells ineffective.

By the 1700s, the familiar herb was classified as F. vulgare Mill, after English botanist and gardener Phillip Miller.

However, by the 1800s, French critic, novelist, and journalist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr decried the herb in his A Tour Round My Garden, in which he stated in his section on fennel, “At the end of three or four hundred years it was discovered that this had never cured anybody.”

Be that as it may, his fellow countrymen of the 19th century had no qualms about consuming it in their favorite green elixir, absinthe.

In modern times, India has taken the lead worldwide in commercial fennel production, and seeds are readily available for home garden planting.

Let’s learn to grow our own!

Propagation

The best way to grow F. vulgare varieties is from seed.

It is possible, but challenging, to start with a root cutting, or division of the crown, the part where the stems meet the roots.

However, these plants have long, fragile taproots and don’t handle disturbance well. So, while you may be able to take a cutting or make a division, it may not transplant successfully.

Unlike some fruiting plants, the seed of fennel and its fruit are one and the same, so the words are used interchangeably.

Fennel seeds can be harvested from plants after the flowers fade, or purchased from quality purveyors.

How to Grow

If you want to grow fennel in the spring, it’s best to start seeds indoors four to six weeks before the last frost date for your region.

Remember, this is a cool-weather crop. If it gets too hot or dry, it may bolt, or run to seed.

Also, because of the temperamental taproot, it’s wise to use seed starter cells that biodegrade, and transplant them in their entirety to the garden after the danger of frost has passed.

Alternatively, you can direct sow seeds into the garden in late summer or early fall, after the worst of the summer heat is over.

It is a commonly held belief that fennel doesn’t get along well with other herbaceous plants, especially those in the Apiaceae family. Don’t sow it in close proximity, to avoid cross-pollination and adverse effects on flavor.

Choose a location that receives full sun. The soil should be organically rich, well-draining, loose loam. According to the Herb Society of America, the ideal soil pH is somewhere in the range of 4.8 to 8.2.

If you don’t know the composition or pH of the earth in your garden, conduct a soil test through your local agricultural extension service, and amend as needed with compost or other rich organic matter, sand for better drainage, and lime to sweeten overly acidic soil.

Work the soil until it’s crumbly, to a depth of about 12 inches. Add amendments as needed.

Sow seeds a quarter of an inch deep and cover them over with soil.

Place the seeds about four to six inches apart, and allow a walkable 12 to 18 inches between rows, if you are mass planting.

Keep the soil moist during the germination and seedling phases.

However, avoid soggy soil, as it makes seedlings prone to a fatal fungal condition called “damping off,” which causes them to fall over and die.

When seedlings have two sets of true leaves, you can thin them to a distance of 12 to 18 inches apart.

Transfer seeds started indoors to the garden at this time. Let them acclimate to the outdoors by remaining in their seed starter pots for a day or two to harden off before transplanting into the garden.

Continue to water young plants regularly but avoid oversaturation and pooling of water to prevent rotting.

An inch or two of rain per week, or equivalent watering, is usually adequate, although there may be occasions that warrant more.

Bulb varieties are less able to handle dry spells than common types. They are also susceptible to “tip burn,” a condition in which insufficient watering may inhibit calcium uptake and cause the edges of the layers to turn brown.

Avert trouble with proper watering and harvest when the bulbs are young and about tennis ball sized, as opposed to older and larger.

You may fertilize Florence plants when the bulbs start to form.

Ken Adams and Dan Drost of the Utah University Extension recommend using three tablespoons of a 21-0-0 (NPK) fertilizer for every 10 feet of rows planted. Nitrogen is essential for the foliar development of F. vulgare varieties.

Do not apply fertilizer before plants are well established. Seedlings that receive too much nitrogen may be at increased risk for damping off.

Common F. vulgare blooms near the end of its growing season. If you don’t want it to drop seeds, you can cut the flowers off and remove them before they begin to fade.

In addition to its value as an edible, it provides an attractive, texturally-rich backdrop in the garden, particularly when it’s a bronze variety.

If you are growing Florence types you can keep the bulbs snowy white by mounding soil or mulch up around them when the vegetables first begin to swell.

This technique is called “blanching,” and provides protection from browning in the sun.

Adding mulch over the top of the bulb-like roots of the Florence varieties ensure that they remain white and more satisfying in culinary endeavors.

When bulbs are harvested young, at no more than four inches across, there may be no flower bud development at all.

If there is, you can snip the ends off the foliage to prevent bud formation, seed drop, and potentially invasive growth.

You can also try growing fennel in containers on a patio or balcony. Two things to remember are:

  1. You’ll need a pot at least two feet deep to accommodate the long taproot.
  2. Pots dry out quickly, so be vigilant with watering.

In both containers and the garden, plants may require support. A few bamboo garden stakes and some twine can provide the needed stability.

If you’re growing common F. vulgare, you can prune it down by one-third in early summer for a more compact shape.

Note that in areas where summer heats up quickly, you may be better off planting in mid to late summer for a fall crop.

If you should have a particularly warm spell, plants may “bolt” or suddenly go to seed, causing maturity to come to a grinding halt. Foliage and blossoms may be usable, but immature bulbs will probably be a loss.

And finally, weed the garden regularly to reduce competition for water, deter pests, and inhibit moisture buildup that can lead to disease, especially of a fungal nature.

Growing Tips

Whether you grow common or Florence F. vulgare, remember these tips for success:

Next, let’s look at some cultivars to try in the garden.

Cultivars to Select

When selecting seeds, deal with reputable purveyors, and choose those that have been bred with exceptional qualities.

Here are several to consider:

Bronze

Even without the vegetables, this bronze variety is a beautiful addition to the herb garden.

Enjoy bronze foliage in spring that shades to green during the growing season. Pick and chop for fresh herbs as needed.

Yellow blooms make flavorful garnishes and can be dried to collect the aromatic seeds within.

Bronze

Plants mature in about 65 days at heights of approximately four feet.

Find bronze fennel seeds from True Leaf Market in a variety of packet sizes.

Florence

For crunchy bulbs that are zesty fresh as well as cooked, you can’t beat the Florence variety.

Plants top out at a towering 30 inches in 60 to 90 days.

Florence

Don’t forget to blanch the snowy bulbs with soil or mulch to keep them from browning in the sun.

Find packet of 400 Florence seeds available from Burpee.

Orion

At 24 inches tall, this hybrid is one of the more compact bulb varieties, appreciated for being less leggy than taller cultivars.

‘Orion’

It’s been bred for outstanding tip-burn resistance, and won’t disappoint.

Plants mature in 80 to 85 days.

Find packets of 100 ‘Orion’ seeds available at Burpee.

Managing Pests and Disease

When you start with quality seed, cultivate during cool weather, provide rich soil that drains well, don’t overwater, and keep the garden free of weeds, pests and disease issues should be minimal.

The parsley worm, or swallowtail butterfly caterpillar. Photo by Nan Schiller.

However, sometimes even with the best intentions, we have to contend with herbivores, insect pests, and diseases often borne by these pests.

You may find that rabbits take quite an interest in your plants, but deer and groundhogs don’t seem to care for its aroma.

Some pests to be aware of are:

To eradicate sap-sucking aphids and thrips, a strong stream of water from the hose may do the trick. An application of organic neem oil may be a beneficial treatment for large outbreaks.

For slugs and snails, you can set traps and then discard those you catch.

As for the swallowtail butterfly caterpillar, you may have mixed feelings. It’s likely to feed on the aphids, but it is also going to feast on the foliage.

If you decide you just can’t share, either pick them off by hand, or try adding a few attractions to the yard like a bird feeder or an inviting birdbath, and let avian visitors help keep them in check.

In addition, there are a few diseases that may present themselves, including:

We’ve already talked about damping off, a fungal disease that kills seedlings, and for which there is no cure.

These are primarily fungal conditions, with the exception of downy mildew, which is caused by a water mold called an oomycete.

All affect the foliage, causing discoloration and often deformity. They are likely to respond favorably to fungicides formulated for edible plants.

Another disease I recently learned about, called “little leaf,” was documented in India in 2002 .

It appears to be caused by a bacterium called a phytoplasma, and causes witches’ broom-like tiny leaf growth of the foliage, as well as yellowing. It does not seem to be commonplace at this time.

The reason it caught my eye is because while there’s a phytoplasma commonly called aster yellows that causes these symptoms, there’s also a viral condition called rose rosette disease with the same warning signs that is known to be a killer of rose bushes.

In light of this possibility, I recommend not taking the advice of some gardeners who suggest planting fennel beside rose bushes so the swallowtail caterpillars can eat the aphids that often plague them.

Now that we know about cultivation and anticipating issues, let’s talk about harvesting the fruits of our labor.

Harvesting

You can pick the tender young shoots of common varieties to enjoy as tasty microgreens, while mature leaves are exceptional when chopped finely as a fresh herb.

Even the stems can be used, like tough celery, in slow-cooked dishes.

When harvesting, try not to take more than one-third of the entire plant at once to avoid shocking it into bolting, or prematurely running to seed.

You can also harvest the flowers to use fresh, or to dry and scrape off the pollen, which has the most intense anise-type flavor of all.

Collect the seeds when they’re green, just after the pods form, or wait until the pods turn brown and the seeds are dry.

For Florence varieties, gather the bulbs when they are about the size of a tennis ball, or at most, four inches across.

Slice each off at ground level with a clean knife, and slice the elongated stems and profusion of leaves off at about three to six inches above the bulb. All parts can be used!

When they’re harvested young, these plants are finished. There will be no flowers, and therefore no seeds.

If you are growing this type and want flowers and seeds, simply allow some of the bulbs to get larger, and soon flower buds will form, bloom, and set fruit.

Plants may be able to tolerate a light frost, but if there’s a hard freeze predicted, harvest what you can in a hurry, including digging up the roots to use as you would carrots, if you’re so inclined.

Storing and Preserving

To store Florence fennel, cut the long stalks off, leaving about two inches above each bulb.

I like to slice the bulbs of Florence types in sections about an inch thick, and store them covered in water in an airtight container in the fridge.

Each morning I change the water and they last for up to five days, before turning brown and getting soft.

You can also store whole bulbs in the fridge for three to five days, or up to a week and a half if you place a damp paper towel over them.

As for cut foliage, it’s quite delicate, and goes limp quickly.  Plan to use it the same day you pick it. Keep it ready by cutting stalks and placing them in a container of water until needed.

Snip off the feathery foliage you want for use in salads and as fragrant garnishes, or toss it into savory cooked dishes as you would with dill.

The stalks can be a little tough, so they’re best in cooked dishes. Some folks dry them in a low oven at about 200°F, for two hours or so.

Fresh, they keep for up to two weeks in the fridge, and are a healthy addition to slow-cooked soups and stews.

Green fennel seeds should be kept in the fridge and consumed within a week of picking.

Pollen scraped and gathered from dry flowers saves well in a sealed jar for approximately two years.

Dry seeds should remain robust and aromatic for several years when stored in an airtight jar. Keep them handy to use as a spice, or to chew a few as a digestive aid and breath freshener.

Find even more information about storing and using fennel on our sister site, Foodal.

Recipes and Cooking Ideas

From flowers, foliage, and pollen, to bulbs, seeds, roots, and the extraction of essential oils, F. vulgare varieties offer much to the home cook.

And, the aromatic essential oils released from the chemical compounds, including anethole and fenchole, do indeed possess anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, and promote digestion, just as the ancients believed.

Here are some of my favorite recipes you’re sure to enjoy that call for this stellar herb:

If you’ve never liked brussels sprouts, then you haven’t tried them al dente, cooked with bacon, and flavored with the taste of fennel and fresh dill.

Besides the incredible flavor, the fat from the bacon allows fat-soluble nutrients to absorb more easily into the body.

Check out the recipe now on Foodal.

Are you looking for an easy, no-cook sauce to make a quick crostini or bruschetta?

Try this tasty recipe for balsamic tomato and fresh fennel sauce, prepared with fresh fennel and cherry tomatoes, also on Foodal.

You can also serve this tasty sauce on top of pasta, spiralized veggies, or anything you would usually serve with marinara.

Do you love a good healthy tea?

This fennel nettle iced tea blend from Foodal is naturally sweet and has powerful natural benefits. It’s a restoring take on an ubiquitous beverage, with unique flavors.

And for more inspiration on using fennel in your culinary creations, check out Foodal for more recipes.

Quick Reference Growing Guide

Plant Type:Short-lived perennial aromatic herbFlower/Foliage Color:Yellow/green, bronze
Native to:Southern EuropeMaintenance:Low
Hardiness (USDA Zone):4-9Tolerance:Some drought, deer, groundhogs
Season:Cool-weather late spring, late summer/fallSoil Type:Organically-rich loam
Exposure:Full sunSoil pH:4.8-8.2
Spacing:12-18 inchesSoil Drainage:Well-draining
Planting Depth:1/4 inch (seeds)Attracts:Beneficial pollinators
Time to Maturity:60-90 daysAvoid Planting With:Other Apiaceae family members, especially dill
Height:2-6 feet, depending on varietyFamily:Apiaceae
Spread:18-36 inchesGenus:Foeniculum
Water Needs:ModerateSpecies:vulgare
Common Pests and Disease:Aphids, parsley worms, slugs, snails; Cercospora leaf blight, damping off, downy mildew, powdery mildew, rustSubspecies:capillaceum, piperitum

All-In-One Flavor and Versatility

Now you have the low-down on fennel varieties. If you love the crunch of celery, and the licorice-like flavor of anise, this herb is going to be the new star in your garden and on your table.

With rich soil that drains well, and timely planting in cool weather, you can enjoy both common and Florence fennel types in your garden.

It may not be the best garden companion, but that’s just because it wants to keep its amazing flavor all to itself.

Add fennel to your garden planner today, and make room for your new favorite herb, spice, and vegetable all rolled into one!

If you’re a fan of growing herbs, check out some of our other growing guides next:

Photo by Nan Schiller © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published February 22, 2019. Last updated March 11, 2021. Product photos via Burpee and True Leaf Market. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock.

sowing for seedlings, planting and care in the ground, personal experience and advice

Fennel: description and useful properties

Of the two forms - ordinary fennel (pharmacy) and vegetable (sweet) - common fennel is more common.

  1. Vegetable fennel has a fleshy thick trunk, fennel has fragrant fluffy stems.
  2. Fennel is popularly known as sweet anise or aniseed dill, because it looks like dill with its umbrellas, and tastes and aromas like anise, but is sweeter and more pleasant.
  3. Fennel is a perennial plant, but depending on natural and climatic conditions, it can be cultivated as an annual or biennial crop.

Fennel has long been cultivated as a medicinal plant. Valued for its medicinal properties and strong pleasant aroma of leaves and seeds

Fennel is harvested for medicinal raw materials in October.

Fennel is consumed fresh, dried, canned. Young green leaves and cabbage heads are used for food.

  1. The most useful leaves grown to 20 cm - they are the most tender and fragrant.
  2. The taste of sprouts is reminiscent of parsnips, they can be stewed, fried, baked.

Fennel is good in salads, as a seasoning for soups, meat dishes, various vegetable preparations. You can even eat the roots stewed or boiled, and the seeds are added to preservation.

Conditions for growing fennel

It is quite capricious about watering and strongly depends on the length of daylight hours when forming dense sprouts.

  1. The culture is thermophilic, winters badly.
  2. Prefers open, well-lit places.
  3. It reacts to the application of organic fertilizers with a powerful development of the vegetative mass, so you need to be more careful with organic matter.
Soil for fennel

Fennel cultivation requires fertile cultivated soil, sandy loam or loam, with a deep arable layer. It would be even better if the soil is limed and made easily permeable so that the soil is loose and moist.

Temperature for fennel

Fennel is a heat-loving but cold-resistant crop.

  1. The optimum temperature for germination of fennel seeds is between 20 and 30 °C.
  2. Seedlings will begin to sprout already at 6-8 °C.
  3. At a temperature of 15-16 °C and sufficient moisture, the seeds will hatch 4-5 days after sowing.
Wintering of fennel

Fennel winters poorly without shelter in the Russian climate, and does not endure frosty, and even more severe, winters.

Thus, fennel can overwinter in the conditions of the Middle lane

In colder regions, fennel is also dug up in autumn and stored until spring in a dark place at a temperature of 1-2 °C.

  1. If fennel is dug up with roots and buried in a warm place (for example, in a winter greenhouse), you can enjoy fresh herbs until late autumn.
  2. In spring, the plants are again moved to open ground.
Fennel fertilizer

With an excess of organic fertilizers, fennel begins to fatten and ripen more slowly.

  1. It is undesirable to apply fresh manure when planting fennel, it negatively affects the maturation of seeds.
  2. Organics in the amount of 6-7 kg per 1 m² are recommended to be applied in advance - under the previous crop.
  3. Fennel beds are best prepared in the fall by digging up the soil on a shovel bayonet.

When preparing a site for fennel, the soil is filled with mineral fertilizers immediately before sowing: nitrogen, phosphorus and potash in the ratio: 30:20:10 g/m².

For example:

When sowing, it is recommended to add mineral fertilizer superphosphate at a rate of 5 g per 1 m².

Being not only a useful vegetable crop, but also a valuable medicinal plant, fennel makes special demands when applying mineral fertilizers

Propagation of fennel

When growing fennel in a perennial crop (in the south), it can be propagated vegetatively:

- the bush is divided so that 2-13 buds remain on each part.

But more often seed propagation is used. In addition, fennel often gives self-seeding.

  1. Seeds can be sown directly into the ground or fennel can be grown through seedlings - depending on the region of cultivation and the desired yield.
  2. Most often, you can get a head of cabbage (the so-called "root", "tuber" fennel) only by seedlings.
  3. For cutting greens, the crop grows well in the open field and produces many crops per season.

Planting fennel

Planting fennel is possible with seeds in open ground or through seedlings. For the cultivation of early products, film shelters, greenhouses, and greenhouses are used. When planting, follow the recommended planting pattern.

Planting dates are quite extended:

Place for planting fennel

Fennel is a long daylight crop.

  1. Therefore, it is better for him to choose a well-lit place with low groundwater.
  2. In lowlands and swampy areas, fennel will not like it.
  3. Fennel can be cultivated in one place without replanting for 2-3 years.

When choosing a place for planting fennel, crop rotation should be observed and proximity to other crops should be taken into account

Crops that are applied organic fertilizers will be good precursors for the spice:

Can be planted after green manure and where annual grasses have grown.

  1. In joint plantings, fennel feels good together with peas, kohlrabi cabbage.
  2. But fennel should be kept away from tomatoes and beans - they are incompatible.
Planting fennel in open ground

Growing on greens

Cultivation of sprouts

To obtain a fennel tuber, it is sown in open ground at the end of June, when daylight hours are waning and bloom in July-August.

  1. In the south, summer sowing of fennel with dry seeds is also possible in July-August.
  2. Winter sowing of fennel seeds is also possible.

Seed preparation

Prepare fennel seeds before sowing –

Planting scheme

When sowing fennel seeds in open ground, observe the distance between plants:

  1. between rows leave a distance of at least 40 cm,
  2. seeds are sown in furrows every 15-20 cm,
  3. are planted to a depth of 1-2 cm on heavy soils, 2-3 cm on light soils.

When sprouts appear after 10-15 days, the fennel is thinned so that a distance of at least 10-15 cm is left between the seedlings. bulb, head of fennel, and not just green shoots. The seedling method is suitable for growing in regions with short cold summers. It is best to grow seedlings in greenhouses or greenhouses.

Terms of sowing fennel for seedlings

Terms of sowing fennel seeds for seedlings will depend on the natural and climatic conditions of the region and the timing of planting seedlings in the ground.

Sowing seeds

To grow fennel through seedlings, seeds are sown in seedling boxes or pots. Peat-humus pots, plastic cassettes or seedling plastic individual containers are preferable because fennel does not tolerate transplanting.

  1. The seeds are not buried deep.
  2. At a temperature of 20-25 °C shoots usually appear a week after sowing.
  3. At the age of 3 weeks, the seedlings dive (preferably in peat pots) and grow at a temperature of 8-10 °C.

Fennel seedlings are planted in the ground when the threat of return frosts has passed:

Caring for fennel

Caring for fennel plantings consists of loosening row spacings, weeding, light hilling, and watering.

  1. It is necessary to loosen 2-3 times per season, starting immediately after emergence.
  2. Mineral dressings are applied once per season.
  3. Water regularly and plentifully.
  4. As soon as a thickening at the base of the stem begins to form, the plants are spudded so that the sprouts are tender and ripen well.
  5. As soon as the tuber grows to 10 cm in diameter (thickness), you can harvest.
Fennel top dressing

1. The first complex top dressing with mineral fertilizers is carried out in the phase of 3-4 true leaves: 1 m².

2. If you need seeds, you need a second feeding. It is carried out when peduncles appear:

3. The third top dressing is also aimed at fruit ripening:

Watering fennel

Being a visitor from the Mediterranean, fennel is resistant to drought, but requires sufficient moisture, and does not tolerate waterlogging. He needs watering infrequent and plentiful, especially in the period from sowing to the formation of an outlet.

  1. In dry, hot weather, watering is mandatory.
  2. If soils are light, watering can be done more frequently.

On average, the rate of watering fennel will be 2-4 times per season, 15-20 liters per 1 m²

Insufficient moisture can cause early flowering (due to which the tuber will not form), therefore, in the absence of precipitation, fennel must be watered .

Diseases and pests of fennel

Fennel has no resistance to diseases and pests.

Fennel Phomosis

Phoma blight is especially dangerous when growing fennel for seeds.

The fight consists in observing the correct agrotechnics, because during the ripening period of greenery, chemical treatment with insecticidal preparations is unacceptable:

  1. remove plant residues in a timely manner,
  2. adhere to the planting pattern,
  3. do not violate the cultivation technology.
Collection and storage of fennel

Fennel begins to bloom in July, the harvest is in September-October. Fennel seeds can only be obtained for 2-3 years.

Well developed sprouts grow to the size of a medium apple, 8-10 cm in diameter.

  1. Fennel tubers will keep well in damp sand.
  2. Fennel greens for winter storage should be thoroughly dried and stored in tightly closed containers. They retain their aroma and spicy taste for a long time.

Varieties of fennel

For 2019, 12 varieties of vegetable fennel, suitable and recommended for cultivation in the country, were entered into the State Register. All of them are suitable for cultivation in all regions:

  1. Amicante (2018, early maturing hybrid of Italian origin, sprout weight ca. 500 g, yield just over 1 kg/1 m²)
  2. Aroma (2002, matures in 75-85 days, recommended for growing herbs, yield 2-3 kg/1 m²).
  3. Casanova (2011, mid-season variety for greens, yield - almost 4 kg/1 m²).
  4. Corvette (2005, forms a sprout in 115-127 days, weight approx. 300 g or more, green yield is slightly more than 1 kg / 1 m², sprouts - approx. 2 kg)
  5. Leader (2003, produces greens in 40-50 days, yields over 2 kg/1 m²).
  6. Luzhnikovsky semko (2000, mid-season variety, forms a head of cabbage in 55-65 days, weighing more than 200 g, the yield is slightly more than 1 kg / 1 m²).
  7. Autumn handsome man (2003, produces greenery in 40 days, yield just over 1 kg/1 m²).
  8. Preludio (2015, mid-early Dutch hybrid, forms dense sprouts weighing 300 g, yield 3 kg/1 m²).
  9. Rondo (2009, mid-early hybrid of Dutch selection, forms a sprout weighing 250-350 g, yields greens up to 5 kg/1 m², sprouts - up to 3 kg/1 m²).
  10. Soprano (2003, forms a sprout in 115 days, weight approx. 100 g, green yield 4 kg/1 m², sprouts more than 2 kg/1 m²).
  11. Udalets (1996)
  12. Phenomenon (2015, mid-season variety, yields a little more than 1 kg of sprouts with 1 m² weighing 210-220 g).
Description of varieties of vegetable fennel (sweet)
  • Autumn handsome man

The variety will ripen quite quickly - in a month and a half from the emergence of seedlings. In height reaches one and a half meters. Greens, cut before flowering, have a gentle, less pungent smell. Productivity - more than 1 kg per 1 m².

  • Lider

Fast maturing variety of vegetable fennel, which yields greens up to 2 kg per 1 m² in 40-50 days from germination. Greens harvested before flowering will perfectly complement the taste of soups, meat and vegetables.

  • Luzhnikovskiy Semko

The mid-season variety will ripen in 2 months from emergence to the formation of a head of cabbage. The plant reaches a height of just over half a meter, a head of cabbage is formed with a mass of 200-220 g. The crop yields 1 kg per 1 m². Good for use on greens in fresh and dried form, and cabbage heads, and leaves, and shoots, and seeds are used as food.

  • Udalets

Mid-season variety, forms a head in 1.5-2 months. Gives a good stable birth, is valued for its resistance to stalking (forms a head of cabbage even in long daylight hours).

  • Aroma

The variety will need 2.5-3 months to mature from full shoots. The plant is powerful and tall up to 2 m in height. Greenery harvest can be obtained up to 2-3 kg per 1 m². Perfect in fresh and dried form as an addition to soups, meat and vegetable dishes.

  • Soprano

The variety is late, will give a harvest not earlier than in 3.5-4 months. At the same time, the result will be impressive: the plant will stretch up to 1.5-2 m, you will collect up to 4 kg of greenery from 1 m². The variety produces good dense white 100-gram sprouts, the total mass of which per 1 m² will be at least 2-2.5 kg

  • Corvette

Another late-ripening variety, it will please you with a harvest in 115-125 days from full shoots. The plant is not tall - a little over half a meter, but the "head" is dense and weighty at 250-350 g. 2.5 kg.

Description of varieties of common fennel (pharmaceutical)

Common fennel is grown as a medicinal, spicy-aromatic and essential oil plant. Differs in the high content of essential oil, fat in seeds.

  • Bachata

A relatively new variety, included in the State Register in 2015. It is distinguished by high winter hardiness and resistance to pests and diseases (cercosporosis, brown spotting, rust).

  • Mercishor

This early maturing variety is suitable for growing in warm climates - Krasnodar Territory, Rostov Region, Stavropol Territory, Crimea, Adygea, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Alania, Chechnya. It is used to obtain a large early harvest in farms.

  • Santorino Sixty

This early maturing hybrid is more suitable for commercial cultivation. He needs mild climatic conditions in the south and central part of Russia, thin-film shelters. It is good for cultivation in the Bryansk, Vladimir, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tula regions, the Krasnodar Territory and the Rostov Region, in the Crimea, etc. The sprout grows dense, weighing 1-2 kg with excellent taste.

Experience in growing fennel through seedlings in the open field

Anna Chumak, a regular author and reader of the Country Club magazine from the Altai Territory, shares her experience of growing fennel.

Always excited to add something new to my herb garden. So I decided to grow vegetable (Italian) fennel. The Hellenes believed that the plant was able to endow the warrior with incredible physical strength, energy and fearlessness.

How do I sow fennel seedlings

I was interested in getting bleached sprouts. In the first year of sowing, she did not achieve success, but was not disappointed. I bought new seeds, and in the second year everything worked out.

I always grow my fennel from seedlings. I take the soil store for seedlings.

  1. Dry seeds are sown at the end of March in small cups, usually 2-3 seeds per cup. Fennel seeds are quite large.
  2. I water the crops, cover with foil. I take it off after the emergence of shoots (after about 1.5–2 weeks).
  3. When the seedlings grow up, leave one in each glass. I usually grow 8-10 plants.
  4. I water the seedlings very carefully, because they are very delicate, thin in fennel.
You can sow fennel directly into the ground:
  • seeds germinate at a temperature of 6–8 °C,
  • seedlings appear at the same time,
  • can withstand temperatures as low as -8 °C
fennel in open ground

The time of planting fennel seedlings in the Altai Territory falls on the first ten days of June:

  1. I carefully transfer seedlings from cups to holes,
  2. I water well,
  3. I mulch with humus,
  4. I definitely shade for a few days.

Distance between plants - 50 cm.

How do I care for fennel

Fennel loves sunny places, fertile soil and timely watering.

  • During the summer 1 time (in June) I feed fennel with a complex fertilizer for vegetables.
  • I regularly water, weed and loosen the soil near the bushes.

With good care, vegetable fennel can reach a height of 2 m!

Fennel growing

Against the backdrop of a blooming June garden, young fennel plants look like slugs. But two weeks will pass - and the fennel will move to growth, will begin to grow lush hair of emerald carved leaves, similar to dill, but only with an anise smell. Fennel bushes are especially beautiful after rain, when all the leaves are covered with droplets of moisture shining in the sun.

How do I harvest and harvest fennel seeds

In the phase of the beginning of the formation of fleshy thickenings at the bottom of the stem, I spud the plants, but not with earth, but with clean sand (or tie them with thick paper).

  1. When the bumps are about 10-12 cm in diameter, the crop can be harvested.
  2. I dig out some of the plants, separating the sprouts from the stems and leaves.

I add leaves and stems to soups or put them in jars when pickling cucumbers and tomatoes. I wash the sprouts, cut them into plastics and freeze them in containers or use them when preparing fish dishes.

I leave a few plants for seeds - they begin to bloom in the year of planting. Umbrellas bloom on the stems, like dill

  • Flowering is long, the fruits ripen only in late August - early September.
  • After that, they crumble easily.
  • Therefore, if the autumn is dry, sometimes I use gauze bags to collect seeds.

I advise everyone to grow fennel!

cultivation and care in the open field, useful properties

The herbaceous plant common fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is considered a species of the genus Fennel of the Umbelliferae family. Among the people, it is also called Voloshsky dill, or pharmacy dill. Under natural conditions, fennel can be found in Western Europe (in France, Spain, Italy, England and Portugal), in North Africa (in Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia) and in Southeast Europe (in Bulgaria, the countries of the former Yugoslavia , Greece and Albania). In addition, such a culture can be found in Central, North and South America, Central and Western Asia, as well as New Zealand. It prefers to grow in ditches, on rocky slopes and in weedy places.

This crop is grown in a large number of countries. The first mention of fennel was found in the herbal books of ancient India, which were written about 5 thousand years ago. Such a plant was also known in ancient China, it was used there for cosmetic and culinary purposes, it was also known in ancient Egypt, it was believed that in addition to its medicinal and gustatory properties, it has power over evil spirits. The ancient Saxons also believed that such a plant had mystical properties, they used bunches of such grass to protect their homes from witchcraft. The Greeks used fennel as a choleretic, diuretic and abortifacient, and it was also used to get rid of fleas. In the writings of Dioscorides, Avicenna, Hippocrates and Pliny, references to such a plant were found. In the Middle Ages, this culture began to be grown throughout Europe and the Czech doctor Matthiol, who served at the court of Archduke Ferdinand, devoted a treatise called “The Power and Action of Fennel” to it. In the 18th century, the pharmacist Stevens created a highly effective medicine for diseases of the kidneys and stomach based on fennel, the English Parliament decided to pay him a decent compensation for the fact that this recipe was made public. This plant is used as a spice in the national cuisines of a large number of countries, including both Asian and European ones.

Content

  • 1 Brief description of growing
  • 2 Features of the fenhel
  • 3 Cultivation of fennel from seeds
    • 3.1 Sowing in the ground
  • 4 Care for fenchel
      9000 4.1 How to water 9000 4.2 Fenchel 9000 4.3 harvest
    • 4.4 Seed collection
  • 5 Fennel pests and diseases with photos and names
    • 5.1 Fennel diseases
    • 5.2 Fennel pests
  • 6 Main varieties
  • 7 Fennel properties: harm and benefits
    • 7.1 The useful properties of fennel
    • 7.2 Contraindications

Brief description of growing

9000 9000 9000 Planting . Podzimny sowing of seeds in open soil is used, which is carried out in October. You can also sow them in early spring (in April), in areas with a warm climate, dry seeds are sown in the garden in July or August.
  • Illumination . Needs plenty of sunlight.
  • Primer . The soil should be light loamy or sandy loam.
  • Watering . On average, bushes are watered 1 time in 5 days, while 1 to 1.5 buckets of water are taken per 1 square meter of beds. You need to increase the amount of watering during a prolonged drought or if the fennel grows on light soil.
  • Fertilizer . This culture is recommended to be fed with a solution of chicken manure (1:20) or mullein (1:10), and an infusion of grass is also used for this. During the season, the bushes need to be fed a couple of times: when they are thinned out and after the formation of peduncles has begun.
  • Hilling . Only vegetable varieties need to be hilled twice or thrice during the season to a height of 30 to 70 mm.
  • Reproduction . The seed method, and the most commonly used vegetative propagation (rhizome division).
  • Harmful insects . Wireworms, May beetle larvae, cutworm caterpillars and meadow moths.
  • Diseases . Cercosporosis, root and stem rot or rust.
  • Properties . Such a spicy herb has a mild disinfectant, antispasmodic and weak diuretic effect.

    • Features of fennel

    Fennel is cultivated as an annual, biennial or perennial. The spindle-shaped root is fleshy and wrinkled, in the upper part it branches strongly. The color of all above-ground parts of the plant is green with a pale blue bloom. The height of a strongly branching rounded straight stem varies from 0.9 to 2 m. Pinnate alternately arranged leaf blades are cut four or three times, the lower foliage has petioles, and the upper one is 30–50 mm long sitting on a vagina of a narrowly oblong shape, which is expanded towards the top . Double umbellate inflorescences in diameter reach 3-15 centimeters, they consist of yellow flowers. Bushes bloom in July-August. The fruit is a naked, oblong-shaped, brown-green color, its taste is sweet, the length is from 0.5 to 1 cm, and the width is from 0.2 to 0.3 cm. The fruits break into 2 parts, their ripening is observed in September .

    How to grow fennel part 1


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    Growing fennel from seeds

    Sowing in the ground

    Seed method and rhizome division method are used to propagate fennel. Seed material remains viable for 2-3 years. They are used as a winter sowing of seeds, so they are sown at the beginning of the spring period. In warm regions, dry seed is used to grow fennel as a perennial, which is sown in open soil in July or August. When purchasing the seeds of this crop, it should be borne in mind that there are 2 varieties of seed: the first variety is used to obtain fragrant greens, and the second is a vegetable, when grown, greens are obtained, as well as heads of cabbage with high palatability.

    For sowing this crop, it is recommended to choose those areas where snow accumulation was observed in winter. Fennel is characterized by thermophilicity and therefore it grows very poorly in shaded places. Light loamy or sandy soils are well suited for cultivation. Good predecessors for such a plant are tilled and winter crops, as well as herbaceous annuals. Spinach, peppers, beans, tomatoes, beans and cumin should not be grown in the neighborhood of fennel, because it helps to inhibit the growth of such plants. Experts advise growing this crop next to cabbage and cucumbers, as it repels such a common pest as aphids with its aroma.

    If sowing is to take place in the spring, site preparation should be done in the fall. To do this, liming of acidic soil is carried out, and after at least 15 days, 2 tbsp. l. superphosphate, 1 bucket of compost or humus and 2 liters of old sawdust per 1 square meter of land. In the spring, before proceeding with the sowing of seeds, the surface of the site is loosened and leveled. For sowing before winter, it is recommended to choose those areas in the soil of which fertilizers were applied for previous crops. It is not necessary to fertilize the soil specifically before planting this plant, because because of this it will ripen very slowly.

    During sowing, the seed must be sunk into the ground by 20 mm, while the row spacing must be at least 0.6 m. removed only when the first seedlings appear. A week and a half after the emergence of seedlings, they will need thinning, while the distance between vegetable varieties should be from 20 to 30 centimeters, and between green seedlings - from 10 to 15 centimeters. In regions with a fairly cold climate, fennel is recommended to be grown through seedlings.

    Growing fennel from seeds


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    Caring for fennel

    This crop is quite easy to grow on your site. Such a plant should be provided with timely watering, weeding, fertilizing, it also needs to be protected from diseases and harmful insects, and also loosen the surface of the earth between rows 3 times during one season. If vegetable varieties are grown, then they need to be spudded twice or thrice during the growing season to a height of 30 to 70 mm. This is necessary in order to whiten the heads of cabbage, and even after hilling they become more fleshy and juicy.

    How to water

    This plant loves water. If it rains regularly in the summer, then on average it will need to be watered once every 5 days, while 1 to 1.5 buckets of water are taken per 1 square meter of the garden. If the crop is grown on light soil, then watering should become more frequent. Particular attention should be paid to watering when growing vegetable varieties, since if they lack water, this will have an extremely negative effect on the quality of the ends, while the bushes themselves can go into the stem. It should also be remembered that with insufficient watering, the bushes begin to run their roots on nearby beds.

    When it rains or the fennel is watered, the surface of the earth around the bushes must be loosened without fail. To reduce the number of watering, weeding and loosening, the surface of the beds should be covered with a layer of mulch.

    Fennel top dressing

    Fennel responds best to top dressing with mullein solution. In order to prepare it, you need to combine water with cow dung in a ratio of 10: 1. You can also use a solution of chicken manure, however, in this case, water and organics are combined in a ratio of 20: 1. You can also feed this culture with an infusion of grass. In total, during the growing season, the bushes need to be fed 2 times. The first time the bed is fertilized immediately after the seedlings are thinned out, and the second - when the formation of flower arrows begins in green varieties, and when growing head varieties 4 weeks after the first feeding.

    Harvesting

    Fennel greens are cut after the height of the bushes is 0.3 m, the fact is that at this time it has the most intense smell. Cut the greens in the early morning, before the dew has dried up, or in the evening, when the sun sets.

    Heads can be harvested when they are 10 centimeters across. Heads of cabbage should be cut off at the very root, however, petioles with foliage about 20 centimeters long should remain on them. Cut heads of cabbage should be laid out in a shaded place in the fresh air, where they should stay for some time. Then all petioles are cut off from them except for one, which is shortened to 10 centimeters, then they are removed for storage. Store them buried in the sand in a cool place, as they can be stored in the refrigerator for no longer than half a month.

    Collection of seeds

    As a rule, the first flowering is observed only in the second year after sowing fennel. And the collection of seeds can be carried out only after the bushes have faded. It will be possible to collect them only when the pale green inflorescences change their color to brownish-yellow. Cut them carefully and hang them in a well-ventilated, dry, cool place to dry, with sheets of newspaper underneath. After the umbrellas have dried well, they will need to shake out the seeds on a leaf. When they are separated from plant residues, they are scattered into bags made of paper. They are stored in a dark and dry place.

    How to grow Fennel h 2


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    Pests and diseases of fennel with photos and names

    Diseases of fennel

    Fennel is quite resistant to diseases, but still sometimes it suffers from stem or root rot cercosporosis or rust.

    Cercosporosis

    If the bush is sick with cercosporosis, angular small spots of yellow color are formed on all its green parts. Over time, the color of the spots becomes darker, their merging with each other is observed. The affected parts of the bush turn yellow and then die off. For prevention purposes, crops should not be allowed to thicken. Affected bushes should be sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux mixture (1%), Kaptan or Kuprozan.

    Root rot

    Root rot kills fennel. At first, drooping of the foliage is observed, and then it fades, turns brown and dies. If you dig a hole 15 centimeters deep near the bush, you can find blackened roots. The affected plant must be dug up and removed from the site along with the soil that is adjacent to the roots. If the disease was detected in the initial stage of development, then it is recommended to stop watering the fennel, and also spray it with a solution of a fungicidal preparation.

    Stem rot

    Plants affected by stem rot damage shoots and stems. At first, rotting of a part of the stem or shoot is observed, after which it dies. In some cases, foliage is also affected. As a rule, the plant rots at the level of the ground surface, as well as above, while the first symptom of the disease is the appearance of a white coating, then small brown spots form on the surface of the stem. After signs of this disease are found on the bush, you need to stop watering it, then you need to remove the plaque, and coat the affected areas with a strong solution of potassium permanganate, after which the plants are powdered with wood ash.

    Rust

    If the bush is affected by rust, which is a fungal disease, brownish-orange bumps appear on its above-ground parts, as well as pustules, causing increased evaporation of moisture. If the plant is affected very strongly, then its foliage begins to fly around. As soon as the first symptoms of the disease are noticed, all affected stems and foliage should be cut off, then the fennel is sprayed with a solution of a fungicidal preparation.

    Fennel pests

    Fennel has the ability to repel various pests, but it must be borne in mind that many crops cannot get along with it. For example, aphids, fleas, snails and wood lice never settle on it, so it is recommended to place a bed with such a plant next to vegetable crops, which often suffer from them. But this is only if these cultures can get along next to fennel. However, the larvae of the May beetle, meadow moths, wireworms, and also scoop caterpillars can still harm him.

    Meadow moth

    Meadow moth is a polyphagous pest that can cause severe damage to the garden. In length, such a butterfly reaches 10 mm, in females the wingspan is about 26 centimeters, and in males up to 20 centimeters. The color of the front wings is brownish-gray with dark spots, a yellow stripe is located at the outer edge. Hindwings gray with 2 stripes. The black-headed caterpillar of such a moth has a gray-green color, while a dark stripe runs along the back. This pest is distinguished by its fertility, so it is very dangerous for cultivated plants. Caterpillars eat everything that comes in their way, while only petioles and veins remain from the foliage. Butterflies themselves eat nectar, in connection with this, during the years of the mass summer of meadow moths, there is often a noticeable decrease in the amount of honey that is produced in this area. A similar year occurs once every 8–10 years, at which time gardeners and gardeners have to try hard to preserve the crop. Various methods are used to kill moths. If there are relatively few pests on the site, then they can be collected manually, while it must be borne in mind that the more weeds on the site, the higher the likelihood that moths will settle on it. If there are a lot of harmful insects, then chemical preparations must be used to destroy them, while Metaphos, Decis, Fufanon, Phosfamide and Karbofos are most effective.

    Winter cutworms

    Winter cutworms are also a polyphagous pest that is very widespread. The color of the front wings is dark gray, almost black, while they have 3 stripes of an even darker shade, and there is also a thin black border. The female's hind wings are light brown, while the male's are white. The caterpillars of such an insect are painted earthy gray, while at a late stage of development a dark stripe forms on their back. Butterflies themselves and their caterpillars, which are very voracious, can harm this culture. In order to prevent, you need to follow the rules of fennel farming, and also systematically carry out weeding. If there are a lot of scoops on the site, then treatment with an insecticidal preparation that is used to combat the meadow moth (see above) will be required.

    Main varieties

    Fennel does not have many varieties. Varieties of oilseed varieties:

    1. Chernivtsi 3 . The ripening of this variety is observed in 135-150 days.
    2. Crimean . This variety is distinguished by its compactness, and it is less tall. It ripens 15 days earlier than the Chernivtsky 3 variety. Due to the fact that its inflorescences are placed at the same height, harvesting is quite simple.

    In addition to these varieties, greens with a high content of essential oils and healing fragrant fruits are produced by such varieties as Zephyr, Oksamit Kryma, Martisor. The Pepper variety has a burning taste.

    Breeders from Italy and Russia are mainly working on breeding vegetable varieties of fennel. The most popular among gardeners are the following Russian varieties - Corvette, Luzhnikovsky Semko, Soprano, Rondo, Aroma, Casanova: the height of the bushes is from 0.5 to 0.6 m, they ripen in 60–70 days, the mass of heads is on average 0. 25 kg. And the following vigorous late Russian varieties are also popular - Leader and Autumn handsome: the height of the bushes, which are distinguished by a delicate smell, is about 1.8 m, the color of the foliage is pale blue. The hybrid early-ripening variety Udalets is also quite widely known, after only 40–55 days after emergence, a dense whitish head of cabbage weighing 100–350 grams grows, while in diameter it reaches from 10 to 18 centimeters.

    The most popular Italian varieties are Sicilian, Zelma, Carmo, Florentine, Italian round, Bologna: the height of the bushes is about 0.6 m, and the heads of cabbage in diameter reach 15 centimeters. However, it should be borne in mind that when grown in mid-latitudes, such varieties are prone to shooting. Varieties grow best in the middle lane: Zeta Fino, Cantino, Romanesco and the Dutch hybrid Rudy, they are also highly resistant to flowering. The most popular table varieties of fennel are Grebnevoy and Ogorodny.

    Properties of fennel: harm and benefits

    Useful properties of fennel

    Since ancient times, people have used fennel as a healing agent. The essential oils of the plant and fruits in powder form have the greatest medicinal value. However, in cooking, only foliage, seeds and heads of such a plant are used. It contains vitamins A, C, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B9, calcium, sodium, selenium, magnesium, copper, zinc, potassium, iron, chromium and aluminum, ash and dietary fiber. The fatty oils contained in this plant include such valuable acids as: linoleic, petroselinic, palmitic and oleic.

    Fennel and preparations based on it are distinguished by their disinfectant, mild antispasmodic and weak diuretic effect. Fennel is recommended for newborns with intestinal cramps in the first months of life, but it is imperative to adhere to the dosage prescribed by the attending doctor. Known to many, dill water is prepared using the fruits of this plant. Fennel essential oil cleanses the body of toxins and toxins, so it is often used after heavy feasts or after eating fatty foods. The powder of this plant is used in the manufacture of cough tablets, because it has an expectorant effect. It is recommended to use this plant for the following diseases: pneumonia, tonsillitis, laryngitis, bronchitis, SARS, laryngotracheitis. Fennel and products made on its basis help restore appetite, which was lost during the illness, and also improve digestion. Due to this, it is used for various diseases of the digestive tract, including during constipation. During pregnancy, fennel-based products are used to eliminate attacks of toxicosis, and after childbirth they are used to normalize digestion. In addition, in lactating women, such drugs help stimulate lactation. This plant is also used in cosmetology and perfumery.

    Fennel is most commonly used as: