As with any plant, the best possible growth factors for bulbous and sweet fennel are already determined when sowing. That is why, on the one hand, choosing the right seed is important, but on the other hand, the location for growing fennel should also be carefully selected. This should be as warm as possible and not too dry.

Choosing a suitable fennel variety

There are basically two rough classifications of the varieties of fennel, apart from the wild form of bitter fennel, which is rarely cultivated today. The varieties for growing in the garden are divided into spice fennel and tuber fennel. These differ in their growth and use in the kitchen and medicine.

The sowing of spice fennel

Since the sweet fennel also sows itself due to its rich flowering, its young plants usually sprout by themselves in the following year of cultivation. However, crop rotation on fennel locations is necessary for good growth. Therefore, germinating young plants of the sweet fennel should be isolated in other vegetable beds in the two years after the original cultivation.

Celeriac will be sown later

In order to avoid excessive blooming of the celeriac, it should not be sown outdoors until May and June. This allows the tubers intended for human and dog consumption to grow larger. An early pre-growth of the seedlings is only advisable for bolt-resistant varieties of fennel

Young fennel plants are sensitive to drops in temperature

During the pre-cultivation of the fennel seeds, make sure that the room temperature is constantly around 20° Celsius, otherwise germination could be disturbed. As soon as the first leaves of the fennel are visible, the temperature can be slowly lowered to around 16° Celsius to harden off the plants for outdoor use. Sowing directly outdoors in rows can only take place from May and June, as the risk of night frosts is too great before then.

Caring for fennel during the germination phase

Fennel seeds should be sown indoors on a loose and humus-rich substrate when pre-cultured. The seeds should be covered thinly with soil and the substrate kept evenly moist to ensure optimal germination. At about 5 weeks, the young fennel seedlings are big enough to be singled out in the vegetable patch.

tips and tricks

Fennel seeds can easily be harvested and stored for the following year if the leaves of the faded fennel are cut off and dried in bunches during harvest.

Category:

Vegetable garden