All about growing fennel
Growing fennel is an easy way to have fresh herbs on hand for your kitchen all the time. You may even want to try eating the base and stalk of the plant, which are popular as a vegetable across much of Europe.
To start growing fennel, you’ll need to purchase seeds from your local garden center. You can either grow fennel indoors or outdoors, but its best to plan not to transplant them because these plants are very fragile. If you plan to start growing fennel outdoors, just plant the seeds as soon as you can work the ground. Fennel will grow in just about any kind of soil, and it’s very tolerable to different weather patterns, although you should not try to grow them outside in the middle of winter. You will find that you have more fennel longer if you plan two plantings: one in the early spring and another in the middle of summer.
When you’re ready to start growing fennel, plant the seeds about a quarter of an inch deep and about 10 inches apart. Choose a place in your garden that is in full sun, and make sure the soil drains well. The one type of soil that fennel will not grow in is soil that is waterlogged. While you’re growing fennel, you’ll only need to water it about once or twice a week. You’ll also want to add fertilizer a couple of times during the growing season to make the soil richer.
One of the best things about growing fennel is that it reseeds itself. This means you can plan on having fennel year after year with very little effort on your part. You will have to watch the spread of your fennel however, because otherwise you may end up with a garden of nothing but fennel. Just pull up any extra fennel plants before they have a chance to grow very long roots that are hard to pull up.
Your fennel will grow to be anywhere between eight and 12 inches tall, so keep this in mind if you’re growing fennel indoors because you need a pot that will be big enough for the plant. You can harvest fennel pretty much any time. Just trim the leaves you need and leave the rest. This way a fresh supply of fennel for your recipes is always just a clip away. You may also want to harvest the stems and eat them as a vegetable. This is very common in the Mediterranean, so you may want to try it if you love Mediterranean cuisine. The stems of fennel taste very similar to anise and are often eaten like celery.
You can also save your fennel seeds if you don’t want to just let the herb reseed itself. Harvest the flower heads after they have died. Then you can easily pull the seeds from the flower heads and save them in an airtight bag or container. Store your seeds in a cool, dry place to ensure freshness the next time you need fennel seeds to plant.