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When to grow fennel


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 Fennel

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a perennial herb grown both for culinary purposes and for its ornamental value. Its feathery, branching, aromatic, yellow-green foliage and tall stature can be attractive as border plantings, in cottage gardens, and more. It is also a good choice for butterfly gardens, as swallowtail caterpillars use it as a food source and pupal site. The plant sports small yellow flowers in the summertime, followed by aromatic seeds that can be harvested along with the foliage. It has a flavor similar to anise or licorice. Fennel is typically planted in the spring, and it has a fast growth rate.

Common Name Fennel, sweet fennel, common fennel
Botanical Name Foeniculum vulgare
Family Apiaceae
Plant Type Perennial, herb
Size 4–6 feet tall, 1.5–3 ft. wide
Sun Exposure Full sun
Soil Type Moist, well-drained
Soil pH Acidic (5. 5–6.8)
Bloom Time Summer
Hardiness Zones 4–9 (USDA)
Native Area Mediterranean

How to Plant Fennel

When to Plant

Plant fennel in the spring after the threat of frost has passed. It takes between 60 and 90 days for most fennel varieties to mature. 

Selecting a Planting Site

A sunny planting site with good soil drainage is key. Besides planting in the garden, raised beds and containers also are options. Fennel should not be planted in the same area as dill or coriander, as cross-pollination can occur and affect the flavor of the seeds. In addition, be sure to take the fennel variety's mature size into account at planting time, so it doesn't shade nearby plants. Also, it can inhibit the growth of tomatoes and beans, so avoid planting near either of those crops.

Spacing, Depth, and Support

Plant seeds roughly 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, and plant nursery starts at the same depth they were growing in their previous pot. Plants should be spaced around 6 to 12 inches apart, and they typically won't need a support structure.

Fennel Plant Care

Light

Fennel prefers full sunlight, meaning at least six hours of direct sun on most days. Shady conditions will make it leggy and floppy.

Soil

Plant fennel in moist, fertile, well-drained soil. It prefers a slightly acidic soil pH.

Water

Fennel likes evenly moist but not soggy soil. Water whenever the soil feels dry about an inch down, but don’t allow the plant to become waterlogged.

Temperature and Humidity

Fennel is a perennial plant within its growing zones, but gardeners outside of its zones often grow it as an annual. The plant is sensitive to frost and cold temperatures. Plus, hot and dry conditions can cause it to bolt and go to seed. Gardeners in mild climates are sometimes able to plant in the late summer for a fall harvest as long as the temperature remains fairly warm. The plant grows best in temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit and in moderate humidity levels. 

Fertilizer

Fennel generally doesn't need fertilizer. But it will appreciate compost worked into the soil at the time of planting, along with a layer of compost added around its base every few months during the growing season.

Pollination

Fennel plants are self-pollinators.

The Spruce / Michelle Becker

The Spruce / Michelle Becker

The Spruce / Michelle Becker

The Spruce / Michelle Becker

Types of Fennel

There are two main types of fennel to grow in your garden, depending on how you plan to use it. Florence fennel (Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum) is used more like a vegetable, grown for its bulbous stem. The main species plant, common or herb fennel, doesn't produce much of a bulb and is typically grown for its foliage.

Florence fennel cultivars include:

Herb fennel varieties include:

Fennel vs. Dill

At first glance, fennel and dill foliage can look quite similar. The leaves are feathery, bright yellow-green, and branching. However, fennel leaves tend to be longer than those of dill. And the herbs have distinct flavors. 

Harvesting Fennel

Harvest fennel leaves as needed throughout the growing season for fresh use. It's used in both raw and cooked dishes. Frequent harvesting will promote a bushier growth habit and consequently more harvestable foliage. But don't trim off more than a third of the plant at once. Bulbs can be harvested as soon as the base of the stem becomes swollen. Pull up the plants, and store the bulbs unwashed in the refrigerator for up to five days before use.

How to Grow Fennel in Pots

You can easily grow fennel in containers. In fact, this can be a good option to prevent the plant from self-seeding in your garden where you don't want it. The container should be at least 10 inches deep with a similar width, and it should have drainage holes. An unglazed clay container is ideal to allow excess soil moisture to escape through its walls.

Pruning

If you wish, you can pinch off flowers as they appear to prevent the plant from going to seed. This keeps the foliage growing and tasting its best for as long as possible. It also stops the plant from freely self-seeding in your garden. However, if you want the seeds for harvesting or self-seeding, allow the flowers to bloom.

Propagating Fennel

Fennel has a long taproot and thus doesn't divide very easily. The better method is to propagate by seeds. This is both an easy and inexpensive way to get new plants, especially if you live where fennel can only be grown as an annual. Here's how:

  1. Watch for seed heads to form on a mature fennel plant at the end of its growing season.
  2. Shake the heads over a sheet or tarp to collect the seeds within.
  3. Spread the seeds in a single layer in a cool, dark, dry spot to fully dry them for a week or two.
  4. Store the seeds in an airtight labeled container, and plant them in the garden the following spring.

How to Grow Fennel From Seed

Soak seeds in water for a day or two prior to planting to speed up germination. Fennel seeds direct sown in the garden will germinate in a week or two. Keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy as you wait for germination. Seeds also can be started indoors about four weeks before your last projected frost date in the spring under grow lights. Be sure to gradually acclimate indoor seedlings to outdoor conditions before planting them in the garden after the weather warms.

Potting and Repotting Fennel

An all-purpose, well-draining potting mix is typically fine for fennel. For container growth, aim to choose a pot that will accommodate the plant's mature size right from the start to avoid having to repot. Fennel doesn't like its roots disturbed. So that means using biodegradable pots for seedlings that can be planted directly in the soil.

Overwintering

If frost is expected in your area, go ahead and harvest the rest of your fennel plant. Otherwise the foliage will likely be damaged or killed. In mild climates, fennel plants can be overwintered for a second growing season, but they usually degrade after that. If unseasonably cold weather is expected in those climates, cover the plants with row covers or another form of protection.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

Fennel rarely suffers from serious pest or disease problems, though caterpillars might chew on the leaves. This is best handled simply by picking them off the plants by hand. Most often, they are parsley worm caterpillars, which evolve into black swallowtail butterflies, beneficial pollinators for the garden. You can, therefore, choose to ignore these green caterpillars with black and yellow bands if they're not causing a major issue.

Aphids also can sometimes be an issue, but they can be treated by strong sprays of water to dislodge them. Avoid using chemical pesticides on edible herbs.

In soil with poor drainage, root rot can occur. If you have heavy soil, try a raised garden bed or container to achieve optimal soil conditions.

Fennel. How to cultivate a Florentine delicacy

There are several types of fennel:

Foeniculum vulgare subsp. piperitum (bitter fennel), Foeniculum vulgare subsp. vulgare var. dulce (sweet fennel) and Foeniculum vulgare subsp. vulgare var. azoricum (Florentine, vegetable fennel)

Vegetable forms of fennel differ from each other in the shape and color of the rosette of leaves, but most importantly - in the shape and size of the sprout. There are varieties with flat or round heads. Plants grow slowly during the initial period of growth. Before stemming, their height reaches 40-60 cm.
To successfully grow fennel, you must meet the requirements for heat, light, moisture, soil, nutrition.

Growing Conditions for Fennel

Fennel prefers areas with long warm and humid summers and mild winters. It grows well on fertile soils, rich in lime, of medium and heavy mechanical composition, with a pH of 6.5-8. Clay and marshy soils are unsuitable for fennel. It responds positively to the introduction of compost and fertilizers with a high organic content. With a lack of nutrients, vegetable fennel forms small heads of cabbage.

Vegetable fennel develops best with a short day and low air temperature. In the conditions of a long day and with a lack of moisture in the soil, vegetable fennel forms flower-bearing shoots in the first year of cultivation, bypassing the sprout phase at the base of the stem.

Fennel is light-requiring and does not tolerate shading well

The culture must be watered regularly, because in plants that do not receive enough water, or if watering is irregular, the stems crack and the commercial quality of the heads deteriorates.

Given the growing season, fennel cultivation requires 200-350 mm of natural rainfall or irrigation moisture, depending on the type of soil and its water supply. Dry air can also prevent the full development of sprouts. In small areas, drip irrigation is used to maintain soil moisture.
The best predecessors of fennel are row crops (under which high doses of organic fertilizers were applied) or grain crops. You can grow it after cabbage. Fennel also tolerates cultivation in monoculture.

Fennel can be grown by direct sowing of seeds into the ground or through seedlings

The growing season of vegetable fennel lasts 90-100 days. It can be grown by direct sowing of seeds into the ground or through seedlings. To grow a sufficient number of seedlings on an area of ​​1 ha, 2.5 kg of seeds are needed. For direct sowing in the same area, 8-10 kg of seeds are required.
Since autumn, the area must be plowed up or dug up to the depth of the arable layer. Before sowing in early spring, the soil is loosened or dug up beforehand.

For an average yield (20 t/ha), the above-ground mass absorbs NPK 58-26-194 kg/ha. Depending on the type of soil and the amount of nutrients in it, 80-120 kg/ha N, 70-100 kg/ha P (P2O5), 120-160 kg/ha K (K2O) are required for fertilizer. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are used as the main ones.

On sandy soils, nitrogen losses are more significant (40-70 kg/ha), with frequent irrigation, potassium can be leached (up to 10%).
To reduce the burden on the environment, nitrogen fertilizers can be applied in several steps. On moderately heavy soils, they can be given in one go. On neutral or slightly alkaline, ammonium nitrate is replaced with ammonium sulfate.

Sowing fennel, care and feeding

Seeds begin to germinate at 6 °C, the optimum air temperature for plant growth and development is 15-20 °C. Shoots appear in 12-14 days. In the marketable phase, plants tolerate frosts. Vegetable fennel can be sown in open ground when the danger of a strong drop in temperature (down to -2 ° C) has passed.

Care must be taken in doing so, as early crops are more likely to bloom. Fennel vegetable is sensitive not only to the length of daylight hours, but also to a sudden change in temperature. Therefore, if possible, it is better to sow by direct sowing, and not through seedlings, in order to reduce the likelihood of transition to stemming.

Seeds usually germinate in 7-10 days. To speed up germination, before sowing, they are soaked for 3 hours in warm water, then dried. To enhance germination energy and germination, seeds can be treated with growth stimulants (Zircon, Epin-extra, Epin, Albit).
In the southern regions, vegetable fennel is sown every 3-4 weeks for conveyor cultivation of heads of cabbage.

Last sowing date should be 90-110 days before the first autumn frosts

In northern latitudes, vegetable fennel is sown during the summer solstice. If sowing is carried out in mid-June, the crop is harvested in mid-October. Cabbage sprouts can survive one or two frosts, so you can harvest when cold weather sets in.

The classical sowing rate of fennel seeds is 0.5-1.2 g/m2

The sowing method is in rows with a row spacing of 60-70 cm. - mi in the tape - 20-25 cm. 5-7 days after sowing, harrowing is carried out in order to control weeds. Shoots appear in 20-25 days. When the plants reach a height of 15-20 cm, they must be thinned out.

According to foreign sources, in the southern regions, vegetable fennel can be sown by direct sowing to a depth of 0.6-1.3 cm with a row spacing of 107 cm. There are 2 lines of seeds on one bed, the distance in a row between seeds is 15 cm. With direct sowing the recommended plant density is 13 pcs/m2. A denser or weaker standing density can provoke stemming in varieties that are sensitive to day length.

According to other sources, the sowing depth of seeds should be 0. 6 cm, the distance between seeds in a row should be 10-15 or 15-30 cm, and between rows should be 46 cm.
Sometimes 3 seeds are sown together in one place, leaving 30 cm between each three seeds in a row, and then thinned out, leaving the strongest seedling.

If the soil is dry at the time of sowing, the furrows must first be well watered. After sowing, the seeds are mulched with a soil layer 0.2-1.3 cm thick. Vegetable varieties of fennel are thinned out at a distance of 15 cm between plants in a row. After this, the plants can be lightly hilled. According to data from foreign literature, at the beginning of the formation of heads of cabbage, plants are thinned out at a distance of 20-30 cm in a row from each other.

When the sprouts have reached the size of a hen's egg, it is necessary to spud up the rows, lightly powdering the soil around the sprout to bleach it.

To make the sprouts more tender and sweeter in taste, as well as to prevent the growth of weeds and maintain coolness and moisture in the upper soil layer, it is necessary to mulch the soil with straw or hay

per season) and weeding in a row. On light soils with a lack of moisture, watering is necessary.

When growing vegetable varieties, it is necessary to feed the plants 1 time during the growing season. Top dressing is carried out when 3-4 pairs of true leaves are formed: 10-12 g/m2 of ammonium nitrate, 20-25 g/m2 of superphosphate and 10-12 g/m2 of potassium salt.

Fertilizers are applied in the middle of the row spacing to a depth of 10-12 cm. To obtain more tender and bleached heads of cabbage, at the first signs of thickening of the stem, the plants are lightly spudded.

How to harvest and store fennel

Commercial sprouts of class I should weigh 250-350 g. It takes about 3 months to obtain full fennel sprouts. Heads of vegetable varieties are harvested in late autumn when they reach a diameter of 8-10 cm, when they become hard to the touch.

They are cut at the root and all leaves are removed at a height of 15-20 cm, otherwise there is a danger of wilting. For cutting, it is better to use a sharp knife or secateurs. The sprout is cut just above the tap root, right at the soil line. The leaves are cut above the head of cabbage at a height of 2.5-5 cm to prepare for sale or storage.
After harvesting, they are washed and packed 20 sprouts in 1 carton. To meet standards, at least 90% of fennel sprouts must be free from insects, worms, mold, rot and other defects that affect product quality. They can also be refrigerated and packed in plastic bags. The shelf life in them is up to 5 days, without packaging in the refrigerator - up to 1 week, or 2-3 months in a cold and humid place. The best storage conditions are 0 °C and relative humidity 95%.
The ideal marketable yield of sprouts (without stem and leaf residues) is, depending on the variety, 1.5-2.5 kg/m2.

Fresh fennel greens are rich in vitamins
(B9 - Folic acid, C - Ascorbic acid, vitamins A, pp, B5, B6, B2), macro-
and microelements. Of the macronutrients, there are potassium, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium. Of the trace elements - manganese, copper, iron, selenium, zinc.

Fennel seeds contain 0.79% essential oil, which has a strong spicy aroma and taste, 5.82% fatty oil and the total amount of phenolic compounds - 1.17 mg/g dry weight. the main components of the essential oil are anethole (50-60%) and fenchone (15-20%).
Raw fennel sprouts contain carbohydrates, dietary fiber, protein, vitamin B complex, vitamin C and minerals.

Fennel through seedlings

To obtain better and earlier yields of vegetable varieties, the seedling method of cultivation is used. For this, plants are sown in boxes or cassettes in a warm room 4-6 weeks before the start of the frost-free period.

Growing fennel through seedlings is useful in areas with a short spring or a short warm period in general (northern latitudes)

Fennel does not tolerate root disturbances. 3 seeds are sown in the cell of the cassette to a depth of 0. 6 cm. When the seeds germinate, the strongest seedling is left in the cell.

Plants are transplanted into open ground from mid-spring to the end of summer, when seedlings are 4-6 weeks old and 8-10 cm high. Row spacing 46 cm wide, between plants in a row - 15-30 cm. It is advisable not to thicken plantings. so as not to provoke the transition to stalking. With the classical planting scheme, when the seedlings reach the age of 45-60 days, they are planted in open ground when there is no threat of return frosts (end of May - beginning of June). The method of planting seedlings is 40 × 20 cm or 40 × 30 cm.

Florentine sweet fennel leaves and head are used raw and cooked. The cabbage can be fried, stewed, grilled. It is a very good source of dietary fiber, as well as calcium, potassium and fiber, and lowers blood cholesterol levels.

Fennel roots are edible. The taste is reminiscent of root parsley. They are added to vegetable stew. The leaves are crushed and added to soups and as a seasoning for fish. Stems and young umbrellas are preserved separately, added when pickling cucumbers and other vegetables. The stems are dried or frozen. Young leaves of vegetable fennel can be added to a salad for children.

Aleksey Baranov, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Gavrish Company

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

Fennel: description and useful properties

Common 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 are leaves that have grown to 20 cm - they are the most tender and fragrant.
  2. The taste of sprouts resembles 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.
Fennel soil

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. It is better to prepare beds for fennel in autumn, 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.

Fennel planting

Fennel planting 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 to plant fennel

Fennel is a long daylight crop.

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

When choosing a place for planting fennel, one should observe crop rotation and take into account the proximity to other crops

Good precursors for the spice will be crops under which organic fertilizers are applied:

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

Before sowing, fennel seeds need to be prepared -

Planting scheme

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

  1. leave a distance of at least 40 cm between rows,
  2. the seeds are sown in furrows every 15-20 cm,
  3. they 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 remains between the seedlings

Planting fennel 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 in 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), it is ready to 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 drought resistant, 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 fennel watering rate 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.

Phomosis fennel

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 must be thoroughly dried and stored in tightly closed containers. They retain their aroma and spicy taste for a long time.

Fennel varieties

As of 2019, 12 varieties of vegetable fennel, suitable and recommended for cultivation in the country, have been 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, yield is slightly more than 1 kg / 1 m²).
  7. Autumn Beauty (2003, greens 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 the Dutch selection, forms a sprout weighing 250-350 g, green yields 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 ripens quite quickly - in a month and a half from the appearance of shoots. 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-growing 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 the emergence of seedlings 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 spot, rust).

  • Mercishor

This early ripe 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 Altai Krai, 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. I sow dry seeds 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, I 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.
Fennel can be sown 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
How do I plant seedlings 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.

If well cared for, 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).

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