Plantation : Indoor: sow in peat containers 4-6 weeks before the last frost to reduce the shock of transplanting. Outdoor: sow from late spring to mid-summer. Dig furrows 5 cm deep. Cover the seeds with 1 cm of potting soil. Keep the soil slightly moist and continue to water in fine rain after emergence.

Soil : Indoor: A well-drained, porous seedling soil is ideal for preventing overwatering. Outdoor: Fennel likes rather light, rich and relatively cool soils. To facilitate its growth, enrich your soil with a manure-based fertilizer or compost.

Spacing : Keep the best looking plants in the row at a distance of 25 cm between two plants. Thinning plants can be transplanted elsewhere in the vegetable garden. Keep only the most vigorous plants with a round bulb.

Cultural practices : because of their height, they should be placed in the background of your garden so as they not shade the surrounding plants. Fennel is cultivated for its bulb, so you have to avoid triggering the shoot. It is the drought that causes the seeds to form. In order to grow successfully, good regularity in watering is crucial. You can place a drip along the rows of fennel to keep the soil cool while conserving irrigation water. Also, don't hesitate to mulch to keep the soil cool and to fertilize and maintain soil structure.

Harvest : usually harvest begins three months after sowing when the bulbs reach a good size. It is then done as needed, but care should be taken not to wait too long, as they tend to become fibrous or to rot inside if the weather is wet. Fennel will keep for a week in the lower refrigerator after harvest. To keep them longer, they can be gauged in a wet sandbox at a temperature of around 5 °C. The most practical, however, is to wash them, cut them into pieces, blanch them for a few minutes in boiling water, dry them and then store them in the freezer.

Consult our technical sheet