GO BACK TO ALL GROW GUIDES

Depth to Plant
Spacing Between Plants
Days to Germinate (Sprout)
Germination
Soil Temp

Best Season to Plant_________
Sun
Requirement
Soil
Requirements
Good Plant Companions
Harvest Instructions


Shop Fennel Seeds

1/8" Deep 10" Apart 7-14 Days Between 50° F and 70° F Spring Full Sun pH Between 6.5 and 8. Dill Harvest Bulb Before It Goes to Seed

 

How to Grow & Harvest Fennel (source)

Fennel is a unique herb and vegetable. The entire plant can be consumed. Enjoy fennel cooked or eaten raw. Fennel is very easy to grow and care for. It's been known to grow wild as an invasive herb/vegetable alongside roads in many coastal areas but wild fennel is quite different from domestic fennel and will not produce bulbs.


When to Plant

Fennel is known as a perennial that ought to be planted sometime after the last frost of the winter. Seeds germinate once soil temperatures can be measured between 50° F and 70° F. It takes up to a hundred days to mature.

How to Plant

Try sowing seeds directly into your gardens, because transplanting fennel usually doesn't work very well.  Make sure you've had the last frost of the season and plant them about one inch deep, and about ten or twelve inches apart.  Space fennel seeds in rows 13" apart.  Keep watered well until seeds germinate, sometime between 7 – 14 days.

If you're growing fennel in containers, make sure one plant has at least 5 gallons of soil. Fennel can develop and intense root system. 


When to Harvest

Harvest after about 80-100 days. Try growing multiple plants if you're interested in harvesting the bulb and seeds.   Let a few plants go to seed and harvest a few bulbs before the plant bolts. 

Harvest the bulbs when they are approximately the same size as a tennis ball. Once the plant bolts, the flavor will be ruined so try to harvest it before them.  Cut the bulb and stalks off right at the soil line. 

Try harvesting a little of the fennel leaves at a time, as needed but don't cut to much at one time. 

If you're looking to harvest the seeds, harvest those in the fall when the plants have turned brown. You can do so by easily shaking the plant into a bag or container.   Save a few seeds for using as herbs in your kitchen, and put a few away to start your crop next year.

 

 

CONTINUE SHOPPING

Browse through hundreds of different varieties

📙 SEED CATALOG {A - Z}
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

ENTER THE SEED SHOP ➜

ON SALE NOW UNTIL MIDNIGHT

SHOP 🔥 DAILY DEALS
Lavender, English - SeedsNow.com
Lavender, English
Sale priceFrom $1.50
Chamomile, German.
Chamomile, German
Sale priceFrom $1.50
Cabbage - Savoy Perfection - SeedsNow.com
Cabbage - Savoy Perfection
Sale priceFrom $1.50
Broccoli - Early Purple - SeedsNow.com
Broccoli - Early Purple
Sale priceFrom $1.50
Radish - Purple Plum - SeedsNow.com
Radish - Purple Plum
Sale priceFrom $1.50
Pepper (Sweet) - Cubanelle - SeedsNow.com
Pepper (Sweet) - Cubanelle
Sale priceFrom $1.50
Onion - Red Burgundy (Short Day) - SeedsNow.com
Onion - Red Burgundy (Short Day)
Sale priceFrom $1.50
Cucumber - Marketmore - SeedsNow.com
Cucumber - Marketmore
Sale priceFrom $1.25
Leek - Giant Musselburgh - SeedsNow.com
Leek - Giant Musselburgh
Sale priceFrom $1.00
Gourd - Crown of Thorns - SeedsNow.com
Gourd - Crown of Thorns
Sale priceFrom $1.00
Cabbage - Brunswick - SeedsNow.com
Cabbage - Brunswick
Sale priceFrom $1.00

FEATURED BLOG POSTS & ARTICLES

VIEW ALL BLOG POSTS
Your Guide to Gardening Through all 4 Seasons

Your Guide to Gardening Through all 4 Seasons

As the weather becomes consistently cold (in late October and early November, in the upper Midwest), you can work at preparing your garden for winter. There are several aspects to winter preparation.
How to Deal with Squash Bugs

How to Deal with Squash Bugs

Squash bugs can destroy crops and are quite the nuisance. Check your squash plants daily for signs of squash bugs and their eggs.   What to look...
How to Save 🍅 Tomato Seeds

How to Save 🍅 Tomato Seeds

There are several ways that you can save your heirloom tomato seeds, but here are two of the most popular techniques.  Fermentation Method: Choos...
How To Tell When 🍆 Eggplant Is Ripe

How To Tell When 🍆 Eggplant Is Ripe

Eggplant is a versatile fruit often used in Italian dishes such as ratatouille, caponata, and lasagna. Eggplant easily absorbs the flavors of wh...
Start these NOW for a fall garden!

Start these NOW for a fall garden!

Summer will soon be over but having a thriving vegetable garden doesn't have to end when summer does. With a little bit of planning, and p...
How Many Plants a 12″ Container?

How Many Plants a 12″ Container?

Here is a suggested number of plants that will grow successfully in a 12″ container. It would be a waste of money and time to start more seeds...
Why Won't My Root Veggies Grow?

Why Won't My Root Veggies Grow?

You’ve put in all the work, planted your root veggies with care and all season you’ve been eyeing their gorgeous leafy green tops and waited with a...
Seed Planting & Spacing Guide (printable)

Seed Planting & Spacing Guide (printable)

← GO BACK TO GROW GUIDES Here is a cheat sheet you can save to reference all of the planting and spacing specs for each of your seeds. Click on the...

CONTINUE LEARNING

CONTINUE SHOPPING

ENTER THE SEED SHOP ❱