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How to plant fennel bulbs


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 Bulb Fennel

, written by Benedict Vanheems

For those in the Northern Hemisphere the longest day of the year falls on either June 20th or 21st. The longest day of the year marks a distinct turning point in the gardener’s calendar, with summer well and truly in command and, hopefully, the first flush of harvests coming and thick and fast if not already snaffled up.

With the likes of early peas and potatoes, broad beans and carrots lifted and plucked, the first free gaps on the plot will be making an appearance round about now. Of course, no vegetable grower worth his salt needs reminding that this is the perfect signal to sow and plant once more, for crops that will be enjoyed in a few months’ time and on into fall. For me, spring is very much a mad rush to get everything up and running before the really good growing weather arrives; starting off veg from midsummer is a more relaxed affair – a far cry from the sprinter’s pace of those earlier sowings.

Fabulous Florence fennel

Perhaps the most indulgent vegetable to start off at this time of year is Florence fennel, otherwise known as finocchio or, more commonly, bulb fennel. The handsome feathery foliage of this crop is matched only by its exquisite aniseed flavour that makes a fine pairing with fish (try baking parcels of mackerel with slices of fennel and lemon for a sublime dinner). But fennel has more strings to its bow than this – pop chunks into a stew to freshen things up, or finely slice a bulb over a garden-gathered salad using a chef’s mandolin. The leaves can be used in place of herb fennel.

Bulb fennel is perhaps a slightly misleading name, as the ‘bulb’ is in fact the swollen stem base of the plant. But this is nitpicking as all you really need to know is that this is a vegetable to luxuriate in – a gourmet kitchen gardener’s treat!

The right site

One of the reasons to sow bulb fennel at midsummer is its love of sunny conditions. Hailing from the Mediterranean, it is at home in a fertile yet free-drained soil that’s lovingly basked by the warming rays of summer. While those in Mediterranean-equivalent zones can of course sow in spring, those at more northerly latitudes must bide their time to be sure of success. By midsummer the soil will have warmed up more than adequately and success will be all but assured.

Despite its sun-kissed origins, however, bulb fennel will not tolerate dry conditions. While a moisture-starved soil isn’t necessarily bad for the plant itself, it’s not great news for us; dry soil encourages plants to run to flower prematurely at the expense of those juicy bulbs. Soil that was manured for a previous crop and that’s topped with a mulch of organic matter will stand a better chance at retaining that all-important soil moisture.

To be sure of adequate moisture it is likely you’ll need to thoroughly water the ground before re-sowing with fennel. Beware the thick canopies of the potato, which exclude all but the heaviest downpours of rain. Having lifted all of your spuds the soil that’s left has a tendency to be dust-dry. Either wait for a good rainstorm to pass before sowing your fennel, or go over the ground several times with the watering can or hose to re-wet. Bulb fennel can also be grown in containers of potting compost.

Sowing and growing

Sowing is easy and best done direct where the bulb fennel is to grow. Sow the seeds into weed-free soil that’s been raked to a fine texture, setting seeds about 1cm (0.5in) deep. You can either station sow three or four seeds every 25-30cm (10-12in) each way, thinning to leave the strongest seedling at each position, or sow the seeds in rows before thinning in stages. It’s also possible to sow into module trays of compost before planting out, but do this promptly as the plants absolutely hate root disturbance.

Few pests will trouble your seedlings but slugs (as ever!) can be the exception. Nightly patrols to collect the slimy mollusks, the laying of beer traps or a sprinkling of pet-safe slug pellets will help to control the population.

As the stem bases begin to swell plants can be ‘earthed up’ just like potatoes by pushing loose soil up against the bases. This not only produces paler and hence more tender bulbs, it will give plants proper support and keep them from rocking back and forth in the wind.

Don’t let your bulb fennel run to seed or 'bolt'. The number one rule when growing this otherwise easy-care vegetable is that you must – and I mean must – keep the roots quenched (though never waterlogged). Water during any dry spells and apply a mulch of grass clippings or similar around the plants to lock it in.

Modern varieties are proving ever more resistant to bolting. The roll call of bolt-resistant varieties includes ‘Victoria’ with its orderly foliage, late-season ‘Cantino’ and the appropriately-named ‘Perfection’. Look out for them. In the very hottest climates heat alone can induce flowering – shading from other taller crops or temporary netting can alleviate the heat.

If one or two plants do stretch to flower, don’t despair. There’s no hurry to lift them out for the compost bin. The yellow umbels that follow not only look fantastic but are a powerful draw for all manner of beneficial insects. Fennel in full flower is a stunning sight and you could even put the case that your fennel is acting as pollinator/pest predator provider!

Enjoying the bulbs

Bulb fennel can be used at any size, with the smallest and most tender bulbs best for use raw in salads. Warm bulbs taken during the heat of the day can be freshened up by submerging thin slices in a bowl of iced water for up to an hour. They’ll soon regain their rigidity and full flavor. Cut the bulbs an inch above ground level and allow the stump to re-sprout (a trick that also works for cabbages). The bonus take of feathery shoots is both delicious and delicate.

However you use your bulb fennel you’ll be pleased you made the sowing. Just think, within just two months of reading this you could be enjoying the luxury of your own bulbs. It’s a tempting thought.

By Benedict Vanheems.

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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!

Fennel bulbs: how and when to plant them

Fennel is a popular plant in many parts of the world, especially in Europe and North America. This plant has large fragrant flowers and is known for its spicy, slightly aniseed aroma. Fennel is used in both culinary and traditional medicine and is easy to grow in most climates. And the best thing is that we can plant using fennel bulbs.

Fennel bulbs are easy to grow and require little attention. They can be planted at any time of the year as long as the ground is not frozen and they prefer a location with plenty of sun and proper drainage. Once rooted, fennel bulbs can grow for years without much care. In addition, this plant is resistant to most pests and diseases, making it an easy choice for beginners and experienced growers alike.

Index

  • 1 How and when to plant fennel?
    • 1.1 How to plant fennel bulbs step by step
  • 2 When are fennel bulbs harvested?

How and when to plant fennel?

Before explaining how to plant fennel bulbs, it's time to clarify what bulbs are and why they are so beneficial when growing a vegetable. Well, bulbs are an organ belonging to certain plants which is used for the reproduction and propagation of these plants. While some are modified stems, others are usually thickened roots. Despite the different structure, all bulbs fulfill their task: they store food so that the plant can survive in unfavorable seasons and seasons and therefore be able to grow in subsequent seasons.

When a bulbous plant reproduces, a new bulb grows out of the original bulb. This usually happens when the leaves of the plant turn yellow and die, indicating that the plant is preparing for winter. New bulbs grow in the soil around the original bulb and, Once they are large enough, they can be separated and planted separately.

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It is therefore not surprising that these plant organs are a popular way for plant reproduction. due to the ease of cultivation and the fact that they can be stored for a long period of time does not need care. Some common examples of bulbous plants include onion, garlic, hyacinth, tulip, and tulip. dill.

Article subject:

What are bulbous plants

As for fennel bulbs, they can be planted at any time of the year. Before the ground freezes . However, most often they are planted in the fall, when the temperature begins to drop. This gives them enough time to establish and grow over the winter and flower the next spring.

If you are planning to plant fennel bulbs in the fall, it is important to do so. before the temperature drops too much. This usually means planting them a few weeks before the first frost. This way, the bulbs will have enough time to establish themselves before winter.

On the other hand, if you decide to plant fennel bulbs at other times of the year, make sure the ground is not frozen and has enough water to keep them moist. It's also important to make sure they get plenty of sun during their growing season.

How to plant fennel bulbs step by step

Now that we know when to plant fennel bulbs, let's see how to do it. Step by step:

  1. Ubicación: Choose a location with plenty of sun and sufficient drainage for planting the bulbs. Fennel needs at least six hours a day of direct sunlight to thrive.
  2. Site preparation: Remove all weeds and loosen the soil to aerate it. Mix a small amount of compost o fertilizer in the soil to provide the bulbs with nutrients.
  3. Place bulbs: Place the bulbs in the soil at a depth of about three times their size. Be sure to place them far enough apart so they can grow without problems.
  4. Watering: Water the bulbs after planting. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy.
  5. patience: Wait for the fennel to grow and flower. Fennels take several weeks to germinate, and flowering can take up to a year.

The time it takes fennel to grow depends on many factors. such as temperature, soil, amount of light and care for it. However, in general, we can say that it takes about a year to grow and bloom, if, of course, it is well looked after.

to fennel harvest, Follow these steps:

  1. Wait until the flowers stop blooming and wither.
  2. Cut flowers and leaves with scissors or a sharp knife.
  3. Allow flowers and leaves to air dry for several days.
  4. Store dried fennel in a cool, dark place until you are ready to use it.

It is important to remember that fennel is the most aromatic and delicious when properly harvested and dried. It's also a good idea to swap flowers and leaves every few days so they get fresh air and don't get damaged.

When are fennel bulbs harvested?

Fennel bulbs are harvested after the plants have died and completely dried.

Learn more