Fennel

**Sowing:** Fennel is usually direct-sown into well-worked, fertile soil in early spring once hard frost has passed, or again in midsummer for a fall crop; seeds are set about 4-5 inches apart in rows 10-12 inches apart and covered 1/4-1/2 inch deep, germinating in 7 to 30 days. Its long taproot makes it a poor transplant candidate, though seed can be started indoors under strong light and moved out while seedlings are still small.

**Growing on:** It wants full sun and moist, organically rich, well-drained soil, though established plants tolerate clay, sandy soil, a wide pH range, and drought; as a heavy feeder it benefits from a balanced fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks.

**Maintenance:** Cutting plants back encourages bushier growth, and leggy stems may need staking. Deadheading spent flowers before seed forms keeps the plant, which self-sows readily, from spreading uninvited through the garden.

**Pests:** Fennel has no serious insect problems as a rule, though aphids and slugs or snails can turn up, and the caterpillars of swallowtail butterflies feed on the foliage as their host plant.

**Diseases and disorders:** Serious disease is uncommon, but stem and root rot can develop in poorly drained soil, and occasional cases of Cercospora leaf spot, powdery mildew, or mycoplasma have been noted. Handling the plant's juices in sunlight can also cause skin irritation.

Foliage can be cut and used at any point through the growing season, and even the two-leaf-stage seedlings are pungent enough to add to salads. Seeds are gathered in late summer once the flower heads have browned, by cutting the plant and hanging it in a paper bag in a cool, ventilated spot until the seed drops free for cleaning and storage; foliage, too, can be air-dried and kept for later use.

**Culinary:** The leaves, flowers, and seeds all carry an anise or licorice flavor and are used in egg and fish dishes, soups and stews, sausage, and baked goods, while the bulb-forming type is eaten raw in salads or steamed.

**Ornamental:** Bronze- and purple-leaved forms are grown as ornamentals in borders and herb gardens.

**Dye:** The shoots can be used to produce a yellow dye.

**Wildlife:** Its flowers attract bees and other beneficial insects, and the foliage serves as a larval host plant for swallowtail butterflies.

**Traditional use:** Fennel has a long documented history as a folk remedy and household staple: the Roman writer Pliny recommended it for numerous ailments, King Edward I's household accounts record large seed purchases, Puritans reportedly chewed the seeds through long church services, and the physician Nicholas Culpepper regarded it as an antidote to poisonous mushrooms and snakebite.

Fennel originates in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean and has since been distributed and cultivated worldwide. It readily escapes gardens and has naturalized in places such as California, where it has persisted for over a century.