Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum
Florence fennel
Common names: Bulb fennel, Finocchio
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 30 cm, rows 40 cm
- Lifespan
- Annual
- Sowing
- May–Jul
- Harvest
- Aug–Nov
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below −3 °C
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: Elekes Andor · CC BY 4.0 · Source
Description
Florence fennel forms a fleshy, white pseudo-tuber with a delicate anise aroma, which is equally convincing raw in salads as it is cooked as a side dish. The fine foliage also seasons like fennel herb. As a late summer and autumn vegetable, it is the ideal substitute for a harvested spring bed.
Care instructions
Sow from mid May to July directly into the bed or transplant, as early sowing causes premature bolting in cold. Water evenly, as drought stress also forces it into flowering. Cluster the tubers once they are fully grown, so they remain white and tender, and harvest them from August just above the ground.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMay–Jul
HarvestAug–Nov
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 8 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 7 to 14 days
- Light
- Sprouts in light or dark
- Sowing depth
- 1 cm
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, well-drained, nutrient-rich, lime-loving
Give Florence fennel a deep, humus-rich, loamy and well-drained soil in the neutral to slightly chalky range (pH 6.5 to 7.5); on very acidic soils it hardly forms bulbs. Loosen heavy soils with compost and avoid waterlogging, otherwise rot is a risk.
Umbellifers (carrot, celery, parsnip) are moderate feeders. A 4-year break keeps carrot fly and soil fungi in check.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Mar–Jun
In spring, before planting or sowing, work mature compost shallowly into the bed. On poor soils you add horn shavings, which release their nitrogen slowly, so further feeding is usually unnecessary. Feed in moderation, because too much nitrogen drives foliage at the expense of the bulb.
Overwintering
Florence fennel is an annual vegetable and will not survive a Central European winter in the bed. Harvest the bulbs completely before the first lasting frost (usually the end of October), as fully grown plants only tolerate light frost briefly. Store the bulbs in a cool place (cellar, in damp sand) and sow anew the following year.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
You propagate Florence fennel exclusively by sowing. Division, cuttings or runners are not practical, because the plant is grown as an annual and forms a sensitive taproot.
Pre-sowing indoors (from mid-March to early April): Sow the seeds in individual pots or multi-cell trays, as Florence fennel tolerates pricking out poorly and the taproot must not be damaged. Germination temperature 18 to 22 °C, sowing depth about 0.5 cm. The seeds germinate after 8 to 14 days. Once they have germinated, move the young plants to a bright, cooler spot. After 4 to 6 weeks, when there is no more risk of frost, plant them out 25 cm apart in the row and 40 cm between the rows, disturbing the root ball as little as possible.
Direct sowing (from mid-April to mid-June): Sow straight into the bed as soon as the soil is at least 10 °C. Place several seeds per spot and thin to the strongest seedling once they have emerged. Direct sowing is gentler on the root and is therefore often the preferred method.
Avoiding bolting: Cold spells at the young plant stage (below 6 °C) trigger early bolting. For the early season, choose bolting-resistant varieties such as ‘Zefa Fino’. Sowings after mid-June for the autumn harvest are less prone to bolting, as the days are getting shorter.
Saving your own seed: Seed saving only pays off with open-pollinated varieties (e.g. ‘Selma’). To do this, you let a few strong plants run to seed, collect the ripe umbels before the seeds drop and leave them to dry further. Please do not use hybrid varieties for seed saving.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
Umbellifers and alliums confuse each other's pests (carrot fly, onion fly).
For example GarlicOnionLeekChivesWild daffodilRocambole and 12 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
daisy family (Asteraceae)
Calendula and Tagetes next to carrots keep the carrot fly away with their scent.
For example French marigoldCalendulaSunflowerButterhead lettuceCommon coneflowerIceberg lettuce and 69 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
You can pair celery and dill with all Brassicaceae because they repel the cabbage whitefly with their scent, a proven companion.
For example White cabbageKohlrabiRadishKalebroccolicauliflower and 41 more species in the catalogue
Source: Bio-Gärtnerei Mixed-culture Practice
legume family (Fabaceae)
Peas and beans provide carrot and celery with nitrogen and grow as shallow-rooted plants without competition next to each other.
For example Pole beanBroad beanSnow peaWrinkled peaRunner beanLima bean and 34 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
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