When to Plant: Plant after the last danger of frost has passed for a spring crop or mid summer for fall growing. While fennel is not technically perennial, it can reseed if aloud to flower and seed out.

Click here to find your last frost date.

NOTE: Avoid planting near your solanaceous crops (tomato, pepper, eggplant), as fennel produces a phytochemical that hinders their growth.

Light: Partial Sun to Full Sun

Fennel can become leggy and weak if grown in too little light.

Soil: Well-drained but moist soil is best.

Provide moisture when the top 2” of soil is dry or when you notice wilt. Fennel loves water! Keep your eye on it in summer months so that it doesn’t get overly dry. Time between water cycles is determined by your soil type and climate.

Plant in rich, fertile soil fortified by compost for a happy plant.

Leaves: Harvest the leaves throughout its growing time, being careful not to remove more than 30-40% of the foliage at one time. Removing too. many leaves can hinder bulb development if your goal is to harvest that eventually.

Seed: Allow fennel to go to flower and produce seeds. You can harvest once the flower umbel is spent and dried out. Make sure the seed is dry and ready for harvest before removing and storing in an air tight container.

Bulb: Harvest when the size of a tennis ball.

Fennel is an allelopathic plant, which means that it produce chemicals that repel the growth of specific surrounding plants.

Another common example of allelopathy is walnut trees.