Rob plants Florence fennel, Megan makes kale smoothies
Florence or bulb fennel is an easy crop to grow and attracts very few pests and diseases.
Florence fennel is allelopathic to other plants which means it gives off a chemical that inhibits the growth of neighbouring vegetables. We recommend giving the crop a buffer zone and for this we use flowers. Being winter, we plant calendula on one side of it and alyssum on the other.
Prepare the soil for planting by adding compost and some well-rotted chicken manure. An application of rock dust, which has a good amount of phosphorus in it, will benefit this root crop too. Plant seedlings about 20 cms apart.
The root of Florence fennel goes as deep as the plant is high, so it’s not a vegetable that can be grown in pots or shallow beds.
Plant calendula the furthest away from the sun as you don’t want them blocking the sun from the fennel. Calendula flowers all winter long, it’s edible and you can make a lovely hand cream from the petals. See here for how to make calendula hand cream.
Florence fennel has summer and winter varieties. Summer varieties tend to be oblong-shaped, whereas winter ones are more round. Winter chilling makes winter fennel varieties a little sweeter and more tasty.
Be careful not to confuse fennel (the herb) with hemlock. The difference is hemlock has a striped stem whereas fennel has a green stem, and hemlock is poisonous!
Alyssum is a low-growing plant so is fine to go on the sunniest side. It’s a great attractant for beneficial insects as it smells very sweet and offers loads of nectar. The flowers are edible, but not the best-tasting!
Florence fennel is ready for harvest in around 3 months. They’re best eaten at this time, as leaving them in the ground for too long can make them woody.
