Harvesting fennel bulbs. Planting Florence Fennel. It is considered an invasive plant, so please harvest and use as much as you want! These are available at different stages of the development of the fennel plant. Any shock to the system will affect the growth of the tender, edible bulb and cause the plant to bolt, flower and set seed quite rapidly. Check the soil pH before planting Florence fennel. It’s a good variety for early sowing, ‘Cantino’ – a bolt-resistant variety with good strong flavour, ‘Amigo’ RHS AGM – good, regular, but slightly flatter bulbs and is bolt-resistant, ‘Colossal’ – a bolt resistant variety that produces a very large bulb. Each bulb will bear up to 30 flowers each year, and are ideal for the back of borders in pots, or make stunning cut flowers. Florence fennel bulbs can be harvested once they reach the size of a small tennis ball, usually in late summer/early autumn. Save on a bare-root collection of 12 agapanthus, six each of 'Queen of the Ocean' and 'Polar Ice'. Let the seeds dry well before storing them in a cool, dark place. Herb fennel will naturally begin to flower more toward the end of the season. Place seeds in rows, approximately 1.5mm deep, thinning to 30cm apart. Even the seeds can be used if your plants have bolted. Not only do you get a culinary spice from harvesting fennel seed, but the seed can be planted in next years garden. It’s a firm favourite with wildlife – pollinators and birds are drawn to this variety as it offers food and shelter. Florence fennel. When to Harvest Fennel Bulbs. Larger bulbs are likely to be bitter or tough. Sowing in cold soil or during cold weather can induce bolting (running to seed prematurely) before the crop is ready to harvest. Some will still need to be picked by hand. Fennel is a Great Garden Addition that Increases Pollination. Freshly picked fennel makes a great addition to summer salads but is also delicious cooked as an accompaniment to meat dishes, or on its own. You can earth up the bulbs as they start to swell, but this isn’t always necessary. Continue to harvest leaves as needed throughout the season. Now that you know how to grow fennel bulb, it's time to roll up your sleeves and get to planting! When the roots fill the modules, ‘harden off’ the seedlings and plant out into a well-prepared and fertilised beds, when there’s no danger of frost. How and What to Harvest. Bitter and sweet fennel are both used as herbs. Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator for several days. iPhone Photos by Sarah Lonsdale. The longest day of the year marks a distinct turning point in the gardener’s calendar, with summer well and truly in command and, hopefully, the first flush of harvests coming and thick and fast if not already snaffled up. Months later I had yet to take it down—and when I found the seeds on the ground, it was like discovering gold. DIY: Fennel Seed Harvesting. Growing crunchy bulb fennel (also called finocchio) is easy in spring and fall, or you can keep a feathery mound of perennial fennel as a steady source of fennel fronds. Sow in cooler climates or, for early crops, better to sow in modules as single seedlings to avoid root damage. You can also deadhead it … Harvesting . This may re-sprout and produce a second harvest of smaller, tender shoots. Do not remove more than one-third of the vegetative growth to ensure the plant will continue to grow. It reseeds itself aggressively and although it’s not invasive, it will spread rapidly. Sow in early spring in small pots or modules under cover, or in mid-spring direct where it is to grow. Wild (really feral) fennel differs from garden fennel in that it rarely sets a bulb and has smaller seeds than the domesticated variety. This usually occurs in late summer, but keep an eye on them to ensure you harvest them as soon as they are ready. Remove fennel stems from just … Many gardeners are seeking a plump fennel bulb from their plants but not all fennels are created equal. Gardeners who grow fennel in a home garden have fennel leaves, fennel stems and fennel seeds to harvest throughout the summer. Sow seeds early in the season and cover with 1/4" of soil. About Wild Fennel. Trimming the plant will create a bushier look, better for privacy screening. Cut the bulb with a sharp knife at the soil surface. Planting and Harvesting Calendar < Back to All Plants Choose bolt-resistant varieties, as Florence fennel is very prone to bolting, particularly when sown early in the season. The bulb is in fact the swollen base of the stem. Clip the leaves from a fennel plant as soon as they begin growing tall and feathery. This may re-sprout and produce a second harvest of smaller, tender shoots. As Florence fennel develops, the stem grows fat and round until it is about the size of a tennis ball. "All About Growing Fennel" Fennel is both a vegetable and an herb, depending on which variety you grow. Fennel germinates quickly in soils that are well-drained and in a sunny location. There are three main types of this aromatic plant. Cut just above soil level and underneath the base with a sharp knife. Plant out modules as soon as possible once the … Gathering and using the blooms as cut flowers will prevent excessive reseeding. Florence fennel grows best during warm summers and needs an open, sunny site. Sow one seed per module, as the seedlings don’t like having their roots disturbed when transplanted. Grows best in cool weather. Cut the bulb above the soil, but leave the root in the ground. For those in the Northern Hemisphere the longest day of the year falls on either the 20th or 21st June. Water in well and keep moist. Enjoy towering lilies with gigantic, scented blooms. 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