Cool-Season Vegetables: How to Grow Fennel
Crunchy and highly flavorful, this herb loves a mild winter or a cool spring in the garden
This tall, fernlike perennial is a handsome addition to the garden. Though the appearance of flowers means the plant has stopped growing, the flowers do have the added benefit of attracting beneficial insects. The most familiar fennel is also called Florence fennel or finocchio. It’s characterized by a white, artichoke-like bulb. Common fennel, which does not have a bulb but does have edible stems and greenery, is grown for its seeds.
Fennel does best in locations with a mild winter or a long and cool spring, as it will bolt easily. Although the bulb is the most commonly used part of fennel, you can also eat the stems and use the foliage as an anise-like garnish.
More: How to grow cool-season crops
Fennel does best in locations with a mild winter or a long and cool spring, as it will bolt easily. Although the bulb is the most commonly used part of fennel, you can also eat the stems and use the foliage as an anise-like garnish.
More: How to grow cool-season crops
Days to maturity: 60 to 100
Light requirement: Full sun
Water requirement: Regular
Favorites: Bronze, Bronze & Green, Di Firenze, Orion, Herald, Trieste, Zefa Fino
Planting and care: Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart, then thin to 10 inches apart. Set plants at that same distance. The soil should be fertile and well drained.
Water regularly and keep the area around the plants free of weeds; mulching will help deter weeds and keep the soil cool. Once bulbs starts to form, mound soil around them to blanch them.
Harvest: Pull the entire plant to harvest once it has reached full size.