Fennel

Plant family

Umbellifers (Apiaceae)

Season Overview

Details

Light requirement

Sunny

Water requirement

Very humid

Soil

Light (sandy)

Nutrient requirement

Medium

Seeding distance

20 cm

Row spacing

30 cm

Seeding depth

2 cm

Instructions

Mid of January

Propagating

Description

Fennel is a perennial herb of the umbellifer family that grows up to 2 m high. Fennel seeds, fennel leaves and the fennel bulb are used, each with the characteristic sweet scent caused by essential oils. A distinction is made between spicy fennel, bitter fennel and tuberous fennel. The latter forms a whitish storage bulb near the ground, which, if not harvested, ensures the new sprouting of the fennel plant in the following year.

Growing tips

Fennel is a dark seedling that requires a steady supply of water and nutrients. It can be sown directly or preplanted in seed trays. Spicy fennel is sown earlier (early April to early May) than vegetable fennel (mid-June to mid-July). Spreading foliage around the bulb will protect it from cold in the fall. You can harvest bulb fennel when the bulb is about the size of your fist, and spicy fennel when the fruiting stalks turn brown.