Fennel Bulbs

  Fennel, or Fennel Florence (Finocchio) is a crop harvested during early to mid-autumn so you may be picking it now if you have attempted to grow it. I say attempted because Florence fennel requires more attention than it other family members. If you are thinking of growing fennel the best time to start planning is now. You may have just finished collecting your fennel (herb) seed heads, these can be stored and dried in paper envelopes for next year. You will need to dig well-rotted manure into the area you decide to grow the crop, and apply a general fertiliser, 60g psq, a sandy well drained soil is also suitable. Plan on preparing the soil before sowing the seeds next spring.


How many do I need? Have I the space?


Fennel bulbs are becoming more popular, but as they are still seen as a relatively unusual vegetable, or often only used for special occasions. An adequate amount for a family would be planning a 3m row, this will produce 10-12 plants.

If you haven’t grown fennel before the good thing is that it is generally pest and disease free, yes there is such a plant! If you do decide to try and grow fennel you will need to plan to sow seeds thinly in 1cm drill, thinning seedlings to 30cm.

 Choose a sunny position with well-drained soil. Whilst waiting for your bulb, the plant itself will provide attractive foliage at the allotment, you may decide, because of its height, to grow it as a ‘backdrop’ plant, with smaller vegetable in front. Once the fennel bulb/ stem is swollen in size at the base (late summer-Autumn) the plant is ready to harvest.

The bulbs can be frozen, but is often used in stocks and stews or raw salads if the weather suits. Like the herb, Florence fennel has an aniseed flavour too and has a sweet taste so bare this in mind when cooking. Common varieties include ‘Sirio’ and ‘Romanesco’.