Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare
About it
- Kind
- Herbs · Annual
- Family
- Apiaceae
- Mature size
- to 6 ft × 3.3 ft
- Sun
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 6 in apart, rows 18 in
- Soil depth in a pot
- At least 8 in
- Water
- About every 7 days
ⓘ We don't know this plant's soil pH and feeding needs yet.
When to plant
- For fall
- Sow by 11 weeks before the first frost
- Ready
- About 80 days from sowing
Based on your last frost date. Outside the US, check local advice.
Planting partners
No cited companion planting notes for Fennel yet.
Safety for pets and children
- Cats Listed as non-toxic to cats (NC State Extension)
- Dogs Listed as non-toxic to dogs (NC State Extension)
- Horses Listed as non-toxic to horses (NC State Extension)
- Children No information in our sources
Read from NC State Extension ↗.
"No information" means our sources do not say, not that the plant is harmless. A non-toxic listing is not a reason to let anyone eat a plant.
Pests and diseases
No pest or disease notes for Fennel yet.
Check the label and your local extension service before using any product.
Where this comes from
- category NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Plant Type: Edible Herb
- climate requirement The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Almanac: the foliage and bulb are "only lightly frost-tolerant", timed to mature "just before your first frost" -- some tolerance, the same light-frost reading 0069 gave Collards and Bok Choy
- days to maturity The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Almanac: "Direct seed about 80 days before your first frost date", i.e. the crop needs about 80 days
- edible NC State Extension ↗
- fall sow weeks before first frost The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ 80 days ÷ 7 ≈ 11.4, rounded to 11; fennel bolts in long summer days, so it is grown as a fall crop
- family NC State Extension ↗
- life cycle NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Life Cycle: Perennial; recorded as annual because that is how the planting behaves (see notes above)
- mature height in NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Height: 4 ft 0 in - 6 ft 0 in; upper bound
- mature spread in NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Width: 1 ft 6 in - 3 ft 3 in; upper bound
- maturity counted from The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Direct-seeded; Almanac never mentions starting fennel indoors
- min soil depth in NC State Extension ↗ Not in Table 18-1; forms a bulb at the base like onion and garlic (0039), which the table lists at 8 in
- space requirement The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Almanac: "thin to a spacing of 6-9 inches apart" (low end), "in rows 18 inches apart"
- species NC State Extension ↗
- sunlight NC State Extension ↗
- toxicity NC State Extension ↗ non_toxic for cat, dog, horse from its "non-toxic for" tags.
- water frequency days NC State Extension ↗ NC State Gardener Handbook ch. 16, "Watering": "On average, vegetable gardens need 1 inch of water per week; provide only what is not supplied by rain." The handbook's general guidance, not a figure published for fennel specifically -- the same citation 0091 used for the ten 0069 vegetables no per-crop page covers.