My 3 top tips for how to successfully grow bulb fennel in Ohio (and areas with similar growing conditions).
This video covers how to grow fennel- including how & when to plant, care & harvest, as well as how to use & enjoy your harvest. I also share my 3 top tips for fennel success in a tricky climate.
My Favorite Fennel & Green Apple Salad Recipe: https://www.growfullywithjenna.com/post/fennel-apple-salad
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00:00 Intro
01:06 Variety Selection
02:17 Start Seed Indoors
04:22 Transplanting & Care
06:23 A Fennel Myth?
07:37 Harvesting
08:03 Using Your Fennel
47 Comments
Often bulb fennel is actually not grown during the Spring, because it tends to bolt even in the Mediterranean, just like Chinese cabbage. So it is advised to sow it in early June. And yeah you can just sow it in cells, pots, etc… it can handle one transplanting. It doesn't need cool temps, it can handle 40° heat just fine, that tap root will find water easily and the foliage doesn't expose it to excess perspiration. A June sowing gives you fennels in late August/early September. In France, some people sow them even in August, for a harvest in late autumn or in winter (it can handle about -4°C). However, rodents tend to love these late season fennels, once in November they ate a few from the inside out. Looking at them they were fine, but the bulb was only left with the outer layer, and the root had been eaten as well. They don't work in summer in your area ? I love to eat them with a fish wrapped in aluminium foil with summer veggies, some slices of lemon, fresh sage and in the oven.
If you want to use the seeds as spice, it's a different variety of fennel you need to use. Otherwise with flowering bulb fennel you will get hollow seeds with no taste, or no seeds at all.
I'm gonna grow some Bronze Fennel for the pollinators this year 🥰
Definitely will add it to the list for next year. I tried once (Florence) and couldn’t understand why I got no bulb. Now I know😜 I love black licorice too. You’re such a great teacher, thank you.
Try adding some cut up orange slices to your apple fennel salad with some green onions! YUM! Fennel Orange salad is my all time fave but adding apple can't hurt! Super Yum!!
Perfect time for this video! I started some fennel seeds this year and am going to try growing it for the first time. Mine are pretty much ready to be transplanted in my area. Thanks for the tips!!
I'm in Florida so I guess it won't grow here. Maybe in the winter. 😊
Thank you for being specific about which bulb fennel is best for your climate. I grew fennel for the butterflies last year and now I want to have it as an ornamental in my flower garden every year. I will use the Italian type for this and buy new seeds if I ever want bulbs.
Where do you get your seeds from for fennel? I’m in zone 7 NJ.
Thank you so much. So helpful. Trying to grow this year.
I just started fennel will see how it goes
I had some bulb fennel bolt in June last year. It attracted so many beneficial insects and butterflies. I even had a few swallowtail caterpillars take up residence.
I started some again this year, and may interplant a few just to attract the butterflies 😁
Thanks, I glad you doing this episode. My fennel never form bolb.
Your fennel looks great! I have 3 plants 1 is on third spring second on others. Funny thing my whole garden froze out this past winter except the fennel and garlic.
Yay! I love fennel. I grew it successfully the first time I tried, and never after that. I didn’t realize it was so finicky and I’ll bet our unpredictable Ontario weather had a lot to do with it!
I have not grown fennel in my home garden. I did however grow it when I was a professional gardener in my display herb garden. I didn't have any issues with it being planted along with other plants.
We grew fennel last year but they bolted too early and didn't get good stalks at all 🙁
I have never tasted Fennel lol but I bought seeds and will plant them this spring. I am new to your channel and found it very helpful for somehow a new gardener in new zone 7b GA. i have so much to learn coming from 10a zone but I love gardening and new challenges. Thank you so much for helping and explaining things so thoroughly. 🙂
I grow fennel. I grow it for the aroma and butterflies. I use just a little, the leaves and the seeds. I use the seeds the most for Italian cooking I live in zone 6. I have a bunch of volunteer fennel from last year. It’s about three inches tall right now . I also plant seed indoor and transplant. I haven’t had any issues of anything growing around fennel
Grew fennel last year and really enjoyed it. The bulbs were small but good. I even had it resprout from the root I left in and make 2 or 4 very small bulbs again. Where the leaves touched a bean plant, the bean did suffer, but that might have been blocked light as much as alleopathic compounds. Roasted with beets and sweet potatoes makes a delicious blender soup.
HA! I also take weird joy in finding things that I shouldn't be able to grow and attempting the impossible. Not sure what that says about me, but I am not going to think about it too much.
Never tried Fennel, I too love black licorice. Thanks spell check😅. I do have a tree that I think is Anise. The leaves when crushed smells like that word I never spell.
I think I have the herb that’s popping up all over my garden, then I don’t have the heart to pull it bc the black swallow tail caterpillars love it. So I end up using it to raise them 😅 I’d love to try bulb fennel I eat it all the time!
Jenna your a mind reader. I just planted bulb fennel today.
Thank you very much for good information about growing bulb fennel
Thank you very much for good information about growing bulb fennel
Fennel is the only thing in the world that I'm allergic to and I still watched this whole video 😂
I grow tons of fennel every year and have always started them first. I’m Italian so we use fennel in our pasta sauce a lot. It’s perfect with sausage. Grilled and braised with fish is also delish! It’s such an underused and under rated vegetable but super easy to grow. Look at the price of it at grocery stores! It’s so expensive to buy too!
Thank you for doing the leg work!! Finding that "ideal" temp range has been a problem for me in the past.
I'm growing fennel for the first time this year. I'm in Bulgaria which seems to have a similar climate. I don't even know what fennel tastes like but I like to try and grow different things.
Thank´s Jenna!
I started fennel not knowing anything about it. Thank you! I hope I’m successful.
I’ve only recently discovered your video and have been enjoying them – I greatly appreciate the timeline chapter links for going back for quick referencing of topics you cover in a video.
I’m live in NE Ohio in the Snowbelt region so appreciate the information from another northern Ohio gardener. I’m trying Preludio this season and seeded it in C. Dowding trays last week. I’ve had mixed success over the past several seasons with Victorio and Perfection varieties, so am hopeful that Preludio will produce better. I'm considering interspersing the transplants among my garlic that is sprouting for better bed utilization, but the spacing is likely too tight.
Along with the shaved fennel and apple salad, I’ve found fennel pairs well with thinly sliced celery (and I’m not a huge fan of celery).
Hi Jenna, I live in 6a 😊 a friend recently told me about your channel and I’ve been watching it ever since. I love black, licorice, and like to grow different things in my garden😊 I was thinking about growing fennel, but had no idea how 🤪Thank you for the video on Fennel. Now I will get some seeds and try my luck.🤞
Out of the fennel that you are growing can you tell me which one has the stronger anise flavor? Thank you 😊
I appreciate all of this information – I’m in SE PA, zone 6B, and will be raising fennel for the butterflies this Spring, but may give bulb fennel a try in my fall garden.
Perfect timing! Or if not perfect (which is my fault), then most certainly excellent.
I decided this year is my year to try growing bulb fennel, so this video couldn't have been posted at a better day and hour, quite literally. Our fennel seeds will get sown indoors today, about a week later than your timeline.
The only hitch is, the seed I have is for Florence fennel (although I have seed for bronze fennel, too), so we'll see what happens in the erratic Ohio spring, but betcha that for a fall harvest I can find one of your recommended varieties in time to make that sowing for fall.
The one thing this Ohio gardener can give fennel is excellent drainage: I'm gardening on what was either an ancient beach head, super sandy, or an ancient stream bed, ditto. So now all we have to do is pray for mild temperatures which the Lake might or might not help with: it's only a few Fahrenheit degrees but as I know you know a few degrees of difference in temperature which a human might not notice can be the literal difference between living and dying for a plant.
I LOVE fennel! I haven't had the best of luck with it in my Ohio garden either so this video is very helpful, thank you. I love it fresh in salads and roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Thank you soooooo much for this video, I love fennel.
❤
Thanks Jenna, good information. Can you review how to store or preserve the fennel, since it looks like you will harvest them all at the same time.
I guess it is too late for this year, but I am up for another challenge in 2024, zone 5a. Where did you get your seeds?
Love your videos! Happy 1st day of SPRING!!!! Stay Well!!!
Well. This video explains why I can't grow Florence fennel ! Will definitely look for those other varieties.
Hi Jenna: This question is a bit off-topic, but you are so good about answering questions, I thought I'd ask.
Are Eclaire strawberries, and Seascape strawberries two different varieties? I ordered a Seascape online, and they arrived with a tag that said Eclaire. New to growing strawberries, so asking. Thanks!
I love fennel. I make a jam from ccarmalized onion. Using Fennel in there Jam is a whole different set of flavors. I love fennel pollen too. A wee skosh goes a long way. I put fennel in quich soups, any where I will use an onion, I'll add fennel and leeks.
Really good information. Growing bulb fennel for the first time this year and was happy to see this!
I LOVE fennel!! But I don't care much for black licorice. Grew it last year in the same bed as my cabbage and kohlrabi and everything grew just fine 🤷🏻♀️ no stumped growth or anything. I also dried the leaves and stems in the oven and then crushed everything and stored in an old glass seasoning jar. Have used it in sauces, dips, dry rubs, etc. Love when you can use all parts or most of a plant!
Do you mix you own seed starting medium?
I use fennel in salads & Pasta con Le Sarde ( Pasta with Sardines (.