How to Grow Fennel
This article is part of our “How to Grow Herbs” series. If you would like to learn more about how to work with this plant after you harvest it, please refer to our Herbal Aromatherapy Certification Program™ here.
Fennel, a member of the Apiaceae (carrot) family, is one of the plants in my garden that is most visited by the honeybees. Once it starts blooming, it is covered in them all throughout the day and it is a true multipurpose plant! Its bulbs are tasty vegetables that can be sauteed and added to stir fry dishes. They have a crisp texture and a fresh, slightly licorice-like flavor that pairs well with orange, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Fennel’s feathery fronds can be worked with as a culinary herb to add an anise-like note to food. Its seeds are also useful when included in herbal teas or tincture formulas. They have carminative effects that can help soothe indigestion and other digestive system ailments.
Growth Habit
Fennel grows as a perennial in my native southern California hometown and is often seen near the coast or in some of our inland bay areas. I used to come across massive clusters of it that were taller than I am when I would take walks in wilderness areas there. I did not see it further inland as much and I have not yet seen it growing wild here in the Pacific Northwest but it does survive our winters here in my zone 8b garden. Considered a Mediterranean plant, it is generally hardy down to about a USDA zone 6 but some are hardy to zone 3. If you are in a cooler area, you can grow it as an annual (some varieties are biennial).
The plants can grow to be 8 feet tall, but I have found that in my area, they tend to top out between 4 and 6 feet. Spacing can affect the size of the bulbs. If you want to harvest small bulbs for your kitchen, you can space them as close together as 8-12” but for larger plants with heftier bulbs, you can give them 2 to 3 feet of space between plants, particularly if they will overwinter in your garden and you want to grow them as biennials or short-lived perennials.
Growing Conditions
Fennel seems to grow best in well-draining soil in areas where it gets full sun for most of the day. I like to plant it in amended, raised beds and have found that it will also do well if it gets some late afternoon shade in our area. We have hot summers here and usually reach our peak daily temperatures in the late afternoon.
If your plants become top-heavy when flowering, you can stake them to help keep them upright. This is not usually necessary for plants grown in full sun, but if you do find that the flower spikes start to lean quite a bit once they are full of flowers or maturing seeds, tying them to a stake can be a beneficial measure.
Learning More
If you would like to learn more about how to work with aromatic plants, I hope you will join me in our Herbal Aromatherapy Certification Program™ here at Floranella! In it, I teach students how to safely and effectively work with over 100 different herbs as well as their applicable essential oils and hydrosols from the garden to the still to the apothecary. I hope to see you in class one day!
About the Author
Hi there, I’m Erin! I am the main instructor here at Floranella. I am a clinical herbalist, aromatherapist, artisan distiller and organic gardener based in the Pacific Northwest. Here at Floranella, I teach people how to work with plants safely and effectively from the garden to the apothecary. Thanks for being here! I’m glad you stopped by.
