How to grow Fennel (Bronze)

When to sow, plant and harvest

Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.

Growing Fennel (Bronze): what it needs

☀️ Light

Full sun · 6+ hours a day

💧 Watering

Keep evenly moist; water pots daily in hot weather

🪨 Soil

Fertile, well-drained soil

📏 Spacing

45 cm

↕️ Height

1.5 m

🪴 In pots

Grows well in containers

🍽️ Feeding

A liquid feed every two weeks for pot-grown plants

⏱️ Harvest

About 70 days from sowing

🌡️ Hardiness

USDA zones 4–9

🎯 Difficulty

Easy

Step by step

1. Mid April – late May · around the last spring frost

   Sow Seeds Outdoors

   Sow thinly in shallow drills where they are to grow. Sow where it will grow; it resents being moved.

2. 7–14 days after “Sow Seeds Outdoors” · Late April

   Check Germination

   Seedlings should appear in 7–14 days. Keep the compost moist. If sown outdoors, thin to 45 cm apart.

3. 56–77 days after “Check Germination” · Mid June – early July

   Start Harvesting

   Snip the soft fronds for fish and salads.

Every year

• March
  Cut Down Old Stems

  Cut last year's dead stems to the ground before new growth starts.

• August
  Remove Most Flower Heads

  Cut off most flower heads to stop it self-seeding everywhere; leave a few for the seed.

• September
  Collect Seeds

  Snip ripe brown seed heads into a paper bag and dry them for cooking.

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