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Fennel Herb
By: Jackie Rhoades
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The fennel herb (Foeniculum vulgare) has a long and varied history of use. The Egyptians and the Chinese used it strictly for medicinal purposes and their lore was brought back to Europe by early traders. During the Middle Ages, it was believed to hold magical qualities and people hung fennel plants over their doors to drive away evil spirits. Eventually, someone recognized its use as a flavoring for eggs and fish. Today, its crisp anise flavor makes it a favorite of cooks everywhere.
Native to southern Europe, the fennel herb is now naturalized throughout Europe, North America, and Australia and grown in gardens all over the world.
Planting Fennel
You’ll find two methods of propagation when researching how to grow fennel. Plants may be divided, but this isn’t as easy as it is with other garden plants and often proves unsatisfactory. This is because fennel has a long tap root that doesn’t like to be divided or moved.
Planting fennel by seed is the much easier option. Seed can be sown as soon as the soil warms in the spring. Soaking your seeds for a day or two before sowing will ensure better germination. Keep the area moist until the seeds sprout and thin the fennel plants to 12 to 18 inches (31-46 cm.) apart when they are 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm.) tall. Plants will begin flowering about 90 days after planting.
Growing Fennel
The steps for how to grow fennel are fairly simple since the fennel herb is such an agreeable garden plant. It belongs to the carrot and parsley family and is a cousin to other herbs such as caraway, dill, and cumin. Like these other herbs, fennel plants produce aromatic fruits which are commonly, though incorrectly, referred to as seeds.
When growing fennel, choose a sunny location in the back of a well drained bed. The fine textured foliage can grow up to 6 feet (2 m.
) tall and makes an excellent backdrop for other flower planting.
Fennel is a short lived perennial that blooms best in the second year. It readily re-seeds and while not considered invasive, it has certainly earned its reputation for aggressive growing. Fennel can be cut back early in the season to encourage bushier growth and should be deadheaded for seed harvest and to prevent over seeding of new plants.
Harvest and dry seeds as the flower heads fade. There’s only one restriction on how to grow fennel: don’t plant it near dill. Cross pollination results in strangely flavored seeds for both plants!
Once established, fennel herb doesn’t need much care. It prefers acidic soil, appreciates the occasional dose of mild fertilizer, and a little additional water if the weather is hot and dry.
In addition to its kitchen contributions, planting fennel will attract beneficial insects to the garden and its leaves are a favorite with the caterpillars of the swallowtail butterfly.
Whether grown for its culinary value or strictly as on ornamental, growing fennel herb will be an easy and attractive addition to your garden.
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How to Grow and Care for Fennel in Your Herb Patch
Foeniculum vulgareFennel, 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
- Cultivation and History
- Propagation
- How to Grow
- Growing Tips
- Cultivars to Select
- Managing Pests and Disease
- Harvesting
- Storing and Preserving
- Recipes and Cooking Ideas
- Quick Reference Growing Guide
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:
- F. vulgare ssp. piperitum
- F. vulgare ssp. capillaceum
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:
- F. vulgare var. vulgare
- F. vulgare var. dulce
- F. vulgare var. azoricum
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.
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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:
- You’ll need a pot at least two feet deep to accommodate the long taproot.
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- 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:
- Sow seeds in organically rich, well-draining soil.
- Maintain consistent moisture during the germination and seedling stages, and then one to two inches of water per week.
- Limit self-sowing to prevent invasive growth.
- Blanch Florence varieties for snowy bulbs.
- Give the long taproot room and disturb it as little as possible.
- Stake as needed.
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.
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:
- Aphids
- Slugs and snails
- Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars, aka parsley worms
- Thrips
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:
- Cercospora leaf blight
- Damping off
- Downy mildew
- Powdery mildew
- Rust
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 herb | Flower/Foliage Color: | Yellow/green, bronze |
| Native to: | Southern Europe | Maintenance: | Low |
| Hardiness (USDA Zone): | 4-9 | Tolerance: | Some drought, deer, groundhogs |
| Season: | Cool-weather late spring, late summer/fall | Soil Type: | Organically-rich loam |
| Exposure: | Full sun | Soil pH: | 4.8-8.2 |
| Spacing: | 12-18 inches | Soil Drainage: | Well-draining |
| Planting Depth: | 1/4 inch (seeds) | Attracts: | Beneficial pollinators |
| Time to Maturity: | 60-90 days | Avoid Planting With: | Other Apiaceae family members, especially dill |
| Height: | 2-6 feet, depending on variety | Family: | Apiaceae |
| Spread: | 18-36 inches | Genus: | Foeniculum |
| Water Needs: | Moderate | Species: | vulgare |
| Common Pests and Disease: | Aphids, parsley worms, slugs, snails; Cercospora leaf blight, damping off, downy mildew, powdery mildew, rust | Subspecies: | 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:
- How to Grow Mitsuba
- How to Grow Parsley in Your Home Herb Garden
- Summer Savory: The Peppery, Piquant Love Herb
- How to Grow Horehound
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.
cultivation from seeds in the open field, useful properties, photo
Author: Elena N. https://floristics.info/ru/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=19 Category: garden plants reprinted: Last amendments:
Content
- Planting and caring for fenchel
- Fennel plant - description
- Growing fennel from seeds
- Planting fengel
- 0011 Comments
Common fennel (lat. Foeniculum vulgare) is a species of the genus Fennel of the Umbelliferae family. In the people, this herbaceous plant is called pharmacy dill, or Voloshsky. In the wild, common fennel is found in the countries of North Africa - Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia; in Western Europe, in particular in Italy, France, England, Spain and Portugal; in South-Eastern Europe - in Greece, Bulgaria, Albania and the countries of the former Yugoslavia.
In addition, it grows in North, Central and South America, New Zealand, and Western and Central Asia. Fennel is most easily found on rocky slopes, in ditches, and in wasty places. Fennel is cultivated in many countries of the world. The first mention of this plant is contained in the herbal books of Ancient India, compiled about five thousand years ago. Fennel was also known in ancient China, where it was used not only in cooking, but also for cosmetic purposes, and in ancient Egypt it was believed that, in addition to taste and healing properties, fennel also has power over evil spirits. The ancient Saxons also believed in the mystical power of fennel and protected their homes from witchcraft with bundles of its herb, while the Greeks used it as a diuretic, choleretic and abortifacient, as well as a remedy for fleas. Hippocrates, Dioscorides, Pliny and Avicenna wrote about fennel in their writings.
In the Middle Ages, fennel spread throughout Europe, and the Czech physician Mattiol, who served at the court of Archduke Ferdinand, dedicated a treatise to the plant called "The Power and Action of Fennel.
" In the 18th century, the English Parliament decided to pay the apothecary Stevenson a decent compensation for a publicized recipe for a very effective remedy for stomach and kidney diseases, which the apothecary made from fennel. Fennel is used as a spice in national cuisines of many countries, both European and Asian. We will talk about how to grow fennel from seeds, how to care for a plant in the open field, as well as what medicinal properties it has, what are the benefits of fennel and to whom it can be harmful, we will tell in this article.
Planting and caring for fennel
- Planting: sowing seeds in open ground - before winter (in October) or early spring (in April), in warm regions, dry fennel seeds are sown in the ground in July or August.
- Lighting: bright sunlight.
- Soil: light sandy or loamy.
- Watering: on average once every five days at a rate of 10-15 liters of water per m² of plot.
When growing a plant on light soils, as well as in hot and dry weather, the site will have to be watered more often. - Top dressing: most of all the plant likes solutions of mullein (one part of cow manure is diluted in 10 parts of water) and chicken manure (respectively 1:20), as well as herbal infusion. During the season, 2 top dressings are carried out: after thinning and at the beginning of the formation of peduncles.
- Hilling: 2-3 times per season, only vegetable varieties are hilled to a height of 3-7 cm.
- Propagation: by seeds and rhizome division (most common).
- Pests: wireworms, cockchafer larvae, cutworm caterpillars and meadow moths.
- Diseases: cercosporosis, root and stem rot or rust.
- Properties: this spicy plant has a mild antispasmodic, disinfectant and mild diuretic effect.
Read more about growing fennel below.
Fennel plant - description
Fennel can be grown in annual, biennial and perennial crops. The fleshy, wrinkled and spindle-shaped fennel root is strongly branched in the upper part. All ground organs of the plant are green with a bluish bloom. Straight, rounded and highly branched stem reaches a height of 90 to 200 cm. The next pinnate leaves are cut three times and four times: the lower ones are petiolate, the upper ones are sessile on a narrowly oblong sheath 3-5 cm long, expanded towards the apex. Flowers with yellow petals are collected in double umbrellas with a diameter of 3 to 15 cm. Flowering lasts from July to August. The fruit of fennel is a naked, oblong, greenish-brown and sweet-tasting vine fruit 5-10 mm long and 2-3 mm wide, splitting into two parts, it ripens in September.
Growing fennel from seed
Planting fennel in the ground
Fennel is propagated by dividing the rhizome and seeds that remain viable for 2-3 years. Fennel seeds can be sown before winter or early spring.
In areas with a warm climate, for long-term cultivation, dry fennel seeds are sown in July or August. When buying seed, please note that two varieties of seeds are offered: the first variety is intended for growing greens, and the second, vegetable, will give you, in addition to greens, delicious heads of cabbage.
It is best to sow fennel where there was a lot of snow in winter. Keep in mind that the plant is thermophilic and will not grow in the shade. Fennel prefers light sandy or loamy soils. The best predecessors for the plant are annual grasses, as well as winter and tilled crops. Do not plant fennel in the same area as plants such as tomato, spinach, beans, peppers, cumin, and beans, as it inhibits the growth of these crops. Fennel is the best neighbor for cucumbers and cabbage, because it repels aphids from them with its smell.
Soil for spring sowing of fennel is prepared in autumn: acidic soil is limed, and not earlier than two weeks after that, one bucket of humus or compost, 2 tablespoons of superphosphate and a two-liter jar are applied per 1 m² of soil for deep digging old sawdust.
In the spring, before sowing, the surface must be loosened and leveled. Winter sowing of fennel is best done where the soil was fertilized for the previous crop. It is not necessary to specially apply fertilizers for fennel, so as not to doom it to too slow ripening.
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When sowing, seeds are buried by 2 cm, and the distance between rows must be at least 60 cm. On the 10th day after the emergence of seedlings, fennel seeds are thinned out in such a way that plants of green varieties are in a row at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, and vegetables - 20-30 cm.
In areas with a harsh climate, it is better to use a seedling method of crop propagation. Read about how fennel seedlings are grown in the article already posted on the site.
Caring for fennel in the ground
Growing fennel outdoors is easy. How to grow fennel? You will have to loosen the soil between rows three times per season, weed out as they appear, water, feed and protect plants from diseases and pests.
Vegetable varieties of fennel also need hilling to a height of 3-7 cm 2-3 times during the growing season. This is necessary for whitening heads of cabbage. In addition, due to hilling, they become juicier and meatier. Watering fennel
Fennel loves water. The optimal frequency of watering in a typical summer is once every five days at a flow rate of 10-15 liters of water per 1 m² of land. Fennel growing in light soils will need to be moistened more frequently. Keep in mind that from a lack of moisture, vegetable varieties of the plant will either go into the stem, or give low-quality heads of cabbage. In addition, if the fennel does not have enough water, it launches its roots into neighboring areas. After watering or rain, the soil around the plant must be loosened. You can make your work easier by mulching the area.
Feeding fennel
An ideal fertilizer for the crop is a solution of mullein, for the preparation of which one part of cow dung is diluted in 10 parts of water.
You can replace the mullein with chicken manure, but in this case the proportions are different: 20 parts of water are needed for one part of organic matter. Fennel also responds well to feeding with herbal infusion. In total, the plant needs two top dressings per season: the first - immediately after thinning, and the second - at the beginning of the formation of flower arrows in garden fennel or a month after the first top dressing of headed plant varieties. Harvesting fennel
Edible greens are harvested when the bushes are 30 cm high, at which time the fennel greens have their strongest aroma. Cut greens early in the morning during dew or after sunset. Heads of cabbage will be ready for harvest when they reach a diameter of 10 cm. Heads are cut at the root, but petioles with leaves up to 20 cm long are left on them. After cutting, heads of cabbage should lie in the fresh air in the shade, after which only one petiole is left on them 10 cm long, and heads of cabbage are sent for storage.
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Store fennel sprouts in a cool place immersed in sand, since they can lie in the refrigerator for no more than two weeks.
How and when to collect fennel seeds
Fennel usually blooms only two years after sowing, therefore, it will be possible to collect seeds from it only after flowering. Seeds will be ready to harvest when the greenish inflorescences turn yellow-brown. You need to carefully cut the umbrellas and hang them to dry in a cool, dry room with good ventilation, spreading a newspaper under them. When the inflorescences are dry, shake out the seeds from them on the newspaper. Clean the seed from dry plant residues and arrange in paper bags. Store seeds in a dry, dark place.
Pests and diseases of fennel
Diseases of fennel
Fennel is very rarely sick, but sometimes it can be affected by cercosporosis, root and stem rot or rust.
When fennel is affected by cercosporosis, small angular yellow spots appear on all its green organs.
With the development of the disease, the spots darken, merge with each other, the affected tissues of the plant turn yellow and die. For preventive purposes, too dense plantings should be avoided, and to destroy the infection, fennel is treated with one percent Bordeaux liquid, Kuprozan or Kaptan. Root rot causes plant death. First, fennel leaves wilt, then wither, turn brown and die. If you dig the soil to a depth of 15 cm, you will find that the roots have turned black. The dead plant will have to be removed along with the soil adjacent to the roots. If you managed to diagnose the disease at the very beginning, immediately stop watering the fennel and treat it with a fungicide solution.
Stem rot attacks stems and shoots of plants. First, part of the shoot or stem rots, then dies. Sometimes the infection also captures the leaves of the plant. Usually rotting occurs at the level of the soil surface and above, and the first sign of the disease is a white coating, followed by small brown spots on the stem.
As soon as you find the symptoms of stem rot, stop watering the fennel, wipe off the plaque and lubricate the damaged areas with a strong solution of potassium permanganate, then dust them with wood ash. Rust is a fungal disease that manifests itself in the formation of orange-brown tubercles and pustules on the ground parts of the plant, which cause increased evaporation of moisture, and in case of severe damage, leaf fall. At the first signs of the disease, it is necessary to remove diseased leaves and shoots, after which the plants are treated with a fungicide solution.
- Cucumbers in a greenhouse: cultivation, difficulties
Fennel pests
The quarrelsome nature of fennel scares away not only plants, but also insects. Fleas, aphids, woodlice and snails do not like it, so fennel can be grown near vegetables suffering from these pests. Of course, if the plants themselves get along with their savior. The enemies of fennel are wireworms, May beetle larvae, scoop caterpillars and meadow moths.
Meadow Moth is a polyphagous pest that can cause serious damage to your garden. This butterfly is about 1 cm long with a wingspan of up to 20 cm in males and up to 26 cm in females. The front wings of moths are gray-brown with dark spots and a yellow stripe at the outer edge, the hind wings are gray with two stripes. The caterpillar of the moth is black-headed, greenish-gray with a dark stripe along the back. The insect is very prolific, therefore dangerous. Caterpillars eat everything in their path, leaving only veins and petioles from the leaves. And butterflies feed on nectar, and during the years of mass summer of meadow moths, the amount of honey produced in the area can be significantly reduced. This happens once every 8 or 10 years, and then gardeners have a hard time.
Moths are killed in various ways. If there are few of them, then they are harvested by hand, and it is noticed that the less weeds in the area, the fewer moths and caterpillars. But with a massive accumulation of pests, you will have to resort to chemical agents, the most effective of which are Fufanon, Metaphos, Phosphamide, Decis and Karbofos.
Winter cutworms are also polyphagous pests that are ubiquitous. The front wings of the winter cutworm are dark gray, almost black, with three even darker stripes and a thin black border. The hindwings of the male are white, those of the female are brownish. Scoop caterpillars are earthy gray, at a late stage of development a dark stripe appears on their back. Both butterflies and extremely voracious scoop caterpillars are dangerous for fennel. To protect crops from these pests, it is necessary to comply with the conditions of agricultural technology of the crop and regularly destroy weeds. With a massive defeat of fennel with scoops, you need to treat the area with one of the insecticides that were listed above.
How to deal with wireworms and beetles, we have detailed in the articles already posted on our website.
Types and varieties of fennel
There are not so many varieties of fennel. The oil-bearing variety of fennel is represented by the following varieties:
- Chernivtsi 3 – a fennel variety ripening in 135-150 days;
- Krymsky is a smaller, compact variety that ripens two weeks earlier than Chernivtsky 3.
Its umbrellas are at the same height, which greatly facilitates harvesting.
In addition to those described, fragrant medicinal fruits and herbs with a high content of essential oils are produced by varieties Zephyr, Oksamit Kryma, Martisor. The variety Pepper has a burning taste.
Varieties of vegetable fennel are mainly represented by the achievements of Russian and Italian breeders. Of the Russian varieties, the most famous are Corvette, Luzhnikovsky Semko, Soprano, Rondo, Aroma, Casanova - varieties 50-60 cm high, ripening in 60-70 days and producing cabbage heads weighing about 250 g, as well as late-ripening tall varieties with a delicate aroma and bluish leaves - Leader and Autumn handsome, reaching a height of 180 cm. The early hybrid variety Udalets has proven itself well, in 40-55 days it forms a dense whitish head of cabbage weighing from 100 to 350 g and 10-18 cm in diameter.
Of the Italian varieties of fennel, the most famous are Sicilian, Zelma, Carmo, Florentine, Italian round, Bologna - fennels up to 60 cm high and sprouts up to 15 cm in diameter.
Unfortunately, in the conditions of the middle zone, these varieties show a tendency to shoot. Zeta Fino, Cantino, Romanesco and the Dutch hybrid Rudy are more adapted to our climate and more resistant to flowering. Of the table varieties of fennel, most often grown are Grebnevoy and Ogorodny.
Properties of fennel - harm and benefits
Useful properties of fennel
Fennel has been used as a medicine since ancient times. In this regard, the fruits of the plant in the form of powder or essential oil are of value, while seeds, leaves and heads of fennel are used in cooking.
Fennel 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 that make up fennel contain valuable acids: linoleic, petroselinic, palmitic and oleic.
Due to the substances contained in fennel, the plant and preparations from it have a mild antispasmodic, disinfectant and weak diuretic effect.
The fennel plant is used for newborns from intestinal spasm in the first months of life, however, the dosage prescribed by the doctor must be strictly observed. The famous dill water is made from fennel fruits. Fennel essential oil removes toxins and toxins from the body, so it is recommended to take it after heavy feasts and fatty foods. Fennel powder is included in cough tablets, as the plant has an expectorant effect. The use of fennel is indicated for diseases such as pneumonia, tonsillitis, laryngitis, bronchitis, SARS, laryngotracheitis.
The use of fennel and preparations from it restores the appetite lost during illness and improves digestion. These properties of fennel allow it to be used for many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, including constipation. For pregnant women, fennel preparations help relieve attacks of toxicosis, and for those who have given birth, they restore the digestive process. In addition, fennel stimulates lactation in nursing mothers.
Fennel is also used in perfumery and cosmetology.
Summing up, we can say that fennel is used:
- as an antibacterial agent;
- as a wound healing and immunity booster;
- for cancer prevention;
- for the removal of inflammatory processes;
- to improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
- for the normalization of metabolic processes;
- to stimulate lactation;
- to maintain and stabilize the work of the heart.
Fennel - contraindications
Actually, fennel contraindications are not registered anywhere, but, presumably, some people may have an individual intolerance to this product. As a precaution, it should be noted that fennel is recommended for use in small doses for pregnant women, those with epilepsy, and those suffering from diarrhea. In addition, too much fennel in people with poor health can cause bleeding.
Literature
- Read related topics on Wikipedia
- Peculiarities and other plants of the Umbelliferae family
- List of all species on The Plant List
- More information on World Flora Online
Beans: growing in the garden, storage, varieties
Phytophthora on tomatoes: how to fight, how to processSections: Garden plants Umbrella (Celery) Spicy plants Plants on F Leafy
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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 photophilous 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 site must be plowed 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%).
Nitrogen fertilizers can be applied in multiple steps to reduce environmental stress. 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, for conveyor cultivation of heads of cabbage, vegetable fennel is sown every 3-4 weeks.The 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 seed lines 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 clean and store fennel
Commercial sprouts of class I should have a mass of 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 late 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.
