Planting and caring for fennel outdoors

Types of fennel

In the genus Fennel, there are only two types: ordinary, also called "pharmaceutical dill", which has long been cultivated to obtain spicy herbs and fruits; vegetable, or Italian, the cultivation of which has been practiced relatively recently, and it is used mostly in cooking, since it differs from its relative by the presence of juicy leaf petioles.

Common fennel is very popular with gardeners, and it can be found in almost every summer cottage. Plants of this species are distinguished by their large bush size (1-2 m), powerful erect shoots, at the end of which complex umbellate inflorescences are located. Common fennel is valuable for aromatic herbs and seeds that have medicinal properties.

Vegetable fennel has highly branched stems with a fleshy thickening at the base of the petioles. It is these juicy "heads" with a spicy refreshing taste that have a high nutritional value and are widely used in cooking. Heads of cabbage of an adult plant, if provided with proper care, reach 8-10 cm in diameter and outwardly are somewhat similar to kohlrabi cabbage, for which the species was named "vegetable".

On the basis of this species, many hybrid varieties have been bred in Europe, in particular by Italian breeders. Our gardeners also keep up with the European ones - the first vegetable fennel variety of domestic selection called "Udalets" was bred back in 1996. Its peculiarity is that with a low growth of stems (up to 50 cm), the plant is able to grow large heads of cabbage weighing from 100 to 300 g. In the early 2000s, several more mid-season varieties were bred such as Aromat, Soprano, Rondo "," Corvette "," Luzhnikovsky Semko ", early maturing" Leader "," Autumn Beauty ". There are also essential oil decorative hybrids of fennel (Crimean, Chernivtsi), imported varieties (Italian, Sicilian), and elegant decorative varieties with purple leaves "Giant Bronze" and "Purpureum", which are intended for planting in flower beds.

Video "Growing rules"

Demonstration video with the rules for growing fennel.

Planting in the ground with seeds

Usually, the cultivation of the crop is carried out in the garden in the open field. The peculiarity of fennel is that the plant does not need a long day of light, since it belongs to fast-growing grasses, and quickly releases flower stalks from excess sunlight. Therefore, planting seeds for the first harvest is carried out in April - May, and for the second harvest from mid-August to mid-September.

In harsh weather conditions, the cultivation of fennel from seedlings is practiced. To do this, seeds are sown in small containers of 2-3 pieces, and after germination, excess and weak shoots are removed, leaving one of the strongest, which is then planted in the ground. This method is more commonly used for vegetable fennel varieties.Crops of this species are more susceptible to temperature extremes, therefore, in the first month after planting in the ground, they need to provide shelter.

Fennel is not picky about the soil. In the wild, it can be found in the steppe, along roads, on rocks, and even in landfills. Of course, it is ideal if its cultivation in the country is carried out in fertile black soil, but the culture grows quite well in loamy or sandy loam soil. Only in this case, you need to try to make the soil looser, nutritious and moisture-permeable, for which compost, humus, ash, sawdust are introduced.

When choosing a site for growing a crop, it must be borne in mind that the comfortable temperature for normal plant growth is 16-20 ° C, so the planting site should be slightly shaded. For sowing seeds, it is necessary to prepare rows at a distance of at least 40 cm, since some varieties have rather branched shoots. Seeds are planted in moist soil to a depth of 1-2 cm. Due to the high content of ethers, fennel seeds do not differ in rapid germination, but under normal climatic conditions, the first shoots appear 2-3 weeks after sowing in open ground.

Care and cultivation

Fennel cannot be said to be unpretentious. Growing it in soil is ineffective without constant attention and control. The main requirement of the culture is good moisture, without which ordinary fennel simply will not grow, and juicy petioles will not tie on vegetable varieties. Therefore, crop care, first of all, consists in regular and sufficient watering. You need to water the garden 3-4 times a week, and daily during hot periods.

Further care provides full control over the cleanliness of the garden. Timely weeding with the removal of weeds, as well as loosening the soil after each weeding, is a must, without which a bountiful harvest of fennel is unlikely. It is easier to keep the soil clean by mulching with any available organic materials: sawdust, wood chips.

If the cultivation of fennel in the ground is carried out only for the purpose of collecting greenery, then the peduncles must be removed regularly. In addition, vegetable varieties need hilling bushes during the period of thickening on the stems. The hilling procedure must be carried out several times per season until the heads of cabbage gain the desired weight and juiciness.

Throughout the season, organic fertilizing must be applied to the soil: liquid chicken droppings, a solution of wood ash. If the culture grows in insufficiently fertile soil (sandy, sandy loam), top dressing should be applied more often: in the spring before planting - compost, in the fall - manure or humus.

Harvesting

Collecting greens of any type of fennel begins as soon as the plants reach a height of 10-15 cm, and the base of the stems at the root will be about 1 cm.Fennel greens are used in fresh cooking, and they are also used for making preparations: dried, frozen, added to pickles for canning. Vegetable fennel begins to be harvested when the heads of cabbage reach a size of 8-10 cm, if the cultivation of the culture was carried out in order to obtain exactly the heads. Juicy fennel stalks, if you do not need to use them right away, are well stored in a dark, cold place, for example, a cellar or basement. For long-term preservation, the plant is dropped into wet sand, while cutting off the stems slightly above the heads of cabbage, and leaving the roots intact. Vegetable fennel greens can be harvested throughout the season.

Fennel fruits are of particular value for medicine, as they contain a huge range of useful substances, especially esters, which endow the seeds with healing properties. Fruit picking begins when the seeds turn brown-brown - if the plants were planted in the ground in early spring and in July the bushes bloomed, then most likely the seeds will reach their maturity in late August - early September. To harvest the seeds, it is necessary to leave a few bushes with the largest umbrellas until the fall.

Experienced chefs and gourmets harvest fennel roots. In autumn, when the bushes are removed from the garden, the measles are cut from the stems, washed well, dried a little, and then cut for subsequent drying or freezing.If desired, the roots can be stored as ordinary root vegetables - after digging up from them, you need to shake off all the soil and place in a cool place where other vegetables are stored.

Video "Tips for summer residents"

Informational video with useful tips for summer residents.