Planting fennel: sowing, timing & Co

Fennel is a popular vegetable, medicinal and aromatic plant that should not be missing in any garden. We give tips on growing fennel in the garden and in pots.

The fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a Mediterranean vegetable that is now also popular in our part of the world to be grown in the garden. This article will tell you what to consider when sowing and planting fennel.

Planting fennel: the right location

Fennel prefers protected, warm, sunny locations on deep, nutrient-rich, slightly calcareous and sandy loamy soils with good water storage. Fennel can be grown in a raised bed or simply in a vegetable patch. The cultivation of fennel in pots is also possible on the balcony and terrace, as long as the planters are sufficiently large and high for the deep-rooting plant. Rather lean beds should be enriched with ripe compost before planting fennel in the spring to provide sufficient nutrients and improve the soil structure.

Planting fennel: this is how it works

fennel can be planted well as the main crop in batches, subsequent cultivation in the garden. Harvesting from July to October is therefore possible throughout. A three to four year break from cultivation to other umbelliferae (Apiaceae), such as Carrots (Daucus carota), parsley (Petroselinum crispum) or Chervil (Chaerophyllum bulbosum), makes sense to avoid the transmission of diseases and soil fatigue. Fast growing leafy vegetables like spinach (Spinacia oleracea) or lettuce are suitable as a preculture.

Fennel sowing

The cultivation of fennel begins on a sunny window sill from the beginning of March. Direct sowing in the open only makes sense from mid-April when the soil temperatures are well above 10 ° C. It is usually only carried out with spiced fennel. Growing fennel in pots with later planting has the advantage that the plants grow more firmly and vigorously compared to direct sowing with tuberous fennel. You can sow the seeds of fennel until August and thus extend the harvest time until October. Small pots filled with a nutrient-poor substrate are suitable for sowing fennel. Our Plantura organic herb & seed compost is ideal for this purpose. The tofree and low-salt soil promotes root growth and, thanks to the high compost content, stores moisture that is given off to the plants when needed. The individual fennel seeds are sown about 1 - 2 cm deep into the ground and kept well moist. Germination takes place at optimal temperatures of 18-22 ° C after about ten to fourteen days.

Prick out and plant out

From a size of about five to eight centimeters, the seedlings are pricked out in the preculture. The young plants migrate to large pots with more nutrient-rich soil or, from April, directly into the field. When sowing spiced fennel direct, on the other hand, the often numerous seedlings have to be separated at a distance of 10-15 cm in order to create enough space for the young plants. The planting distance of bulbous fennel is around 30 - 40 cm in all directions, i.e. between individual plants as well as between rows.

If you want to grow fennel in a pot, the planter should hold 3 to 5 liters per plant for bulbous fennel. Larger pots have the advantage that several fennel plants can be cultivated in them and watering can take place less often in summer. In order to avoid waterlogging, which is dangerous for the fennel, there should be a 5 cm high drainage layer made of sand, gravel or expanded clay on the bottom of the pot in addition to good water drainage. First, fill in nutrient-rich potting soil like ours Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil in the pot. Now the young fennel plants are placed in the ground. Make sure that the plants are no deeper than they were in the potty before and then press the soil all around well. After planting, it should be watered vigorously.

When is fennel planting time? Lap-proof Fennel varieties can be planted outdoors as young plants between mid-April and mid-July. Italian autumn fennel varieties, which bloom easily if grown too early, should only be sown in midsummer between July and August.

If the soil was enriched with compost before planting, no further fertilization is necessary. The situation is different when cultivating fennel in pots, as the volume of the soil and thus also the nutrient supply is limited. The medium-consuming fennel plants therefore benefit immensely from predominantly organic fertilization. Our Plantura organic tomato fertilizer is simply incorporated superficially around the plant and acts as a long-term fertilizer over several months. The high potassium requirement of fennel is also optimally covered by the potassium-accentuated granulate fertilizer.

Fennel in mixed culture

A mixed culture with fennel can have advantages for both planting partners. Ideally, pests and diseases are kept away and the soil is never leached out on one side. Good neighbors for fennel are, for example peas (Pisum sativum), Salads, Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and sage (Salvia officinalis). Bad neighbors for fennel are nightshades such as tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), paprika (Capsicum annuum) and potato (Solanum tuberosum) as Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). Fennel itself should only be grown in the same area every four to five years.

The harvest season for Mediterranean vegetables finally begins in late summer. With us you can find out everything about Fennel harvest and storage.