As with every plant, the best possible growth factors for bulbous and spiced fennel are determined when sowing. That's why, on the one hand, choosing the right seeds 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.
How to sow fennel correctly?
To sow fennel, choose a suitable variety, first sow in a warm room at 20°C, after germination slowly lower to 16°C, with constantly moist, loose and humus-rich soil substrate. Sowing outdoors in rows can be done in May or June.
Choosing a suitable fennel variety
When it comes to fennel, there are basically two rough classifications of varieties, 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 bulbous fennel. These differ in their growth and use in cooking and medicine.
Sowing spice fennel
Since the spice fennel also sows itself due to its abundant flowers, its young plants usually sprout by themselves in the following year of cultivation. However, crop rotation on fennel sites is necessary for good growth. Therefore, germinating young spice fennel plants should be separated into other vegetable beds in the two years after the original cultivation.
Celeriac is sown later
In order to avoid excessive flowering of celeriac, it should only be sown outdoors in May and June. This allows the tubers intended for consumption by humans and dogs to become larger. Growing the plants early is only advisable for bolt-resistant varieties of fennel
Fennel young plants react sensitively to drops in temperature
While pre-cultivating the fennel seeds in the room, ensure continuous temperatures of around 20° Celsius, otherwise germination could be disrupted. As soon as the first leaves of the fennel are visible, the temperature can be slowly reduced to around 16° Celsius to harden the plants for outdoor use. Sowing directly outdoors in rows can only be done 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 soil substrate when pre-cultivating. The seeds should be thinly covered with soil and the substrate kept evenly moist to ensure optimal germination. At around 5 weeks, the young fennel plants are large enough to be separated into the vegetable patch.
Tips & Tricks
Fennel seeds can be easily harvested and stored for the following year if the fennel leaves are cut off when harvested and dried in bunches.