Fennel is one of the lesser-known herbs that people grow. It has to be separated from dill because they are related and will cross-pollinate, resulting in an inedible (nasty tasting) mutt of a plant. Fennel grows well in containers and can be kept away from dill and other plants by growing it in a pot some distance from the garden.
Edible Parts
Both the stalk and seeds of fennel are used. The stalk is eaten like celery and the seeds are used to flavor foods. While fennel has a flavor similar to licorice, it is really related to the caraway family. Fennel makes a good nursery plant for some caterpillars.
Growing Fennel
Fennel is grown from seed. Sow in full sun after all chance of frost is past. Seeds should be placed in a shallow trough 12 inches apart. Cover with 1/4 inch of soil. Space rows three feet apart.
Harvesting Fennel
Fennel can grow up to 3-4 feet tall and may need staking to keep it upright. Seeds are ready 100 days after planting. Be sure to harvest them before the seed pods start opening, as the seed is shot some distance when that happens. Wrapping the seed pods in cheesecloth before harvesting helps keep the seeds from disappearing.
Storing Fennel
The stalk is eaten like celery and is stored in the refrigerator in a similar fashion. The seeds are air-dried for a few days, then stored in an airtight container like any herb. It is necessary to thrash the seed pods to get the seeds out if you have harvested them before the pods hurl the seeds across your garden. Just slap the ends of the fennel against a counter or other hard surface a couple of times to open the seed pods. Be prepared for the seeds to come out forcefully — keep that cheesecloth wrapped around them or you will have seeds everywhere.
Fennel is one of the lesser-known herbs and the licorice flavor isn’t for everyone. It is a pretty plant, however, and caterpillars like it. That might be reason enough to find room for it in your garden.
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I love growing fennel. A butterfly gardening friend passed a few onto me and I have it my landscaping. Its so true about the seeds. Tiny fennel plants pop up pretty far away from my original plantings. Even though we don’t eat fennel here, its great for attracting Swallowtails in North Texas. Its also a good plant to pass along to friends who are interested in starting to attract butterflies. I didn’t know about the cross-pollination with dill, but it does make sense. I do eat dill and I want it to stay dill.
Apparently it makes a rather nasty weed when fennel and dill cross pollinate, so you will have to separate them quite a bit.
My mum has fennel in her garden. I actually don’t know the name of the herbal plant until I checked on useful herbal plants. Thanks for the info about kennel. I don’t know how the dill look like but I will check on it.
The dill and fennel look very similar, but fennel has a bulb and dill does not.
A friend gave some seeds of Fennel as a gift and suggested to have them in our garden. Now I know some of its benefits I will surely plant them in my garden soon.
It is always fun to try growing new plants. Good luck with your seeds.
Wow Stephanie. I am impressed with your site and am so glad you blog about gardening; one of my favorite subjects. I recently became aware of fennel in the garden and was thinking of adding it next year to my ever-growing herb garden. Thanks for the info.
Julie
http://www.thepatientpotter.blogspot.com
Herbs can be fun to experiment with. Glad you liked the site.