Growing Bronze Fennel - Benefits and Instructions

 

 

Benefits of Growing Bronze Fennel

  • Multipurpose - This hardy perennial can be used as an eye catching piece in flower beds. The feathery fronds are edible and make a great addition to salads and the seeds can be used for making sausage or adding into breads and baked goods.
  • Nutritional Profile - Vitamin C, B9, potassium and iron.
  • Use in: Soups, stews, salads, teas, landscaping. 

To our Flowers Collection

 

 

 

Growing Instructions

Culture:

Sun Exposure: Full sun.
Soil: Prefers rich well drained soil. It prefers acidic soil and appreciates the occasional dose of mild fertilizer.
Moisture: Consistently moist soil when plants are young, but will tolerate dry soil as plant matures. Benefits from mulching in the late fall to help with unpredictable freezing. Remove mulch in the spring.
Planting: Seed can be sown as soon as the soil warms in the spring. Soaking your seeds for a day or two before sowing will ensure better germination. Once established, fennel herb doesn’t need much care. Fennel can be cut back early in the season to encourage bushier growth and should be deadheaded for seed harvest and to prevent over seeding of new plants. This variety of fennel is grown for its bronze coloured fronds and does not produce a typical fennel bulb.
Spacing:   Plant 4 fennel plants per square foot of growing space using Square Foot Gardening Method.  Or plant in rows 12 inches apart.
Sow seeds Sow 1/4 inch deep.

 

Harvesting:

The fronds of the bronze fennel plant can be harvested at any time using a sharp pair of scissors.  The thicker stems can be used much like you would bulbing fennel. Fennel seeds should be harvested as soon as they turn from green to brown on the stalk. This usually occurs in late summer.  Carefully cut seed heads from the plant and place them in a paper bag. Allow the seed head to dry in the open paper bag for a few days to week.  Shaking the paper bag should dislodge the seeds.  Remove the plant matter and further dry the seeds before storing in an air tight container.

Storage/Preparation:

Fennel fronds are very delicate and are freshest when used immediately. 

Companions:

Fennel is not recommended as a companion plant as it negatively affects many other plants.  Dill is sometimes used as a companion plant, but often they will cross pollinate with each other. 

To our Flowers Collection