Outwardly, fennel greens are easily confused with ordinary dill, it is not by chance that it is also called pharmacy dill, but their flavor is completely different.
Growing it is quite difficult, so it is rarely found in gardens, but the plant is so useful, rich in vitamins, that you should try to put it into use and try to plant it.
Harvest this vegetable crop gives a low, and other vegetable neighbors do not really like fennel near their beds. Maybe because of these minor problems, the culture is not popular with gardeners and gardeners. But there are still people who want to have fresh green fennel on their table, and just dream to learn more about the rules of growing and caring for them.
A place
Fennel is whimsical regarding the landing site and the neighborhood, so this issue should be given special attention.
How to choose and prepare a place?
What is next and then you can plant a plant? It is best to plant it after potatoes, peas, cabbage or cucumbers. For good development, fennel requires adequate lighting throughout the day. The area on which the planting will be made should be open, and in the neighborhood there should not be tall plants that could overshadow the planting over time. New fennel plantings should not be placed on the site of old or even nearby for at least three years.
How to work the soil?
A fertile, medium moisture soil is suitable for this crop. Good fennel grows on limestone soil, sandy loam or loam. When processing it is necessary to introduce organic fertilizers: a bucket of compost, humus or peat per square meter of soil. Sawdust is added at the rate of 2 liters per square meter. Dig the soil for spring planting should be even in the fall to a depth of about 25 cm, and in the spring to re-dig a shallower and re-dig. Superphosphates contribute during planting seeds.
Seeds
A photo
This is what the plant seeds look like in the photo.
Can I sow directly in open ground?
If you decide to plant fennel seeds immediately in open ground, then special attention should be given to the choice of time.
- First option - sow seeds from autumn. The best time for this is the beginning of September. In this case, the landing must be well insulated for the winter so that they do not freeze.
- Second option - Plant fennel in spring. For central Russia, this is the end of April. In this case, there will be less trouble.
When to sow?
In open ground:
- From the end of April. Air temperature should not be below +8 degrees.
- But greens can be sown until August at an interval of 2-3 weeks.
- Planted in the fall in September. Soil temperature should fall to + 2 + 4 degrees.
The seedlings are planted in February-March so that 30-day-old plants are planted in the ground in April-May.
How to choose a material?
Seeds should be light green, oblong, ribbed, without damage. When choosing seeds, one should take into account that fennel has two varieties - for growing on greens and for growing heads. Common fennel gives a more fragrant greens, and at the root, roaches are formed, which are used as raw, roasted or baked vegetables.
Where to get seeds?
Seeds can be obtained from the plant, if you leave it for the second year and wait until it blooms. Ripened umbrellas will change their color from the green is not yellowish-brown. Cut umbrellas must be dried in limbo. Stored seeds in paper bags up to 3 years.
You can buy seeds in specialized stores. When choosing, one should take into account the characteristics of the variety, the temperature regime, and the requirements for the soil. The price in Moscow and St. Petersburg ranges from 8 to 60 rubles per 1 gram, depending on the variety.
Most popular varieties:
- Lighthouse;
- Chernivtsi local;
- Martisor;
- Crimean;
- Luzhnikovsky;
- Fragrance;
- Semko;
- Leader;
- Soprano;
- Autumn handsome;
- Departure
How to prepare?
Before planting, the seeds of fennel are wrapped in a rag and dipped for 4 hours in a solution that promotes germination, for example, a solution of potassium permanganate.
Step-by-step instructions for planting in open ground
For autumn planting:
- Prepare the soil - dig at a depth of at least 25 cm and burst.
- Prepare grooves (distance between rows 50-60 cm, depth 2-2.5 cm), sow seeds in them and cover with earth. Top can be covered with peat or compost. Layer must be at least 2 cm.
- In the fall, the seeds are planted in the ground, when the temperature of the soil drops to + 2 + 4 degrees, so that the shoots do not germinate ahead of time and do not die from frost.
- Cover beds before planting film to retain moisture. If the soil is not wet enough, then before planting it is necessary to water it.
- Make grooves with depth up to 2 cm in prepared soil. Distance between rows 50-60 cm.
- Close the planting film to prevent drying out of the soil. Water as needed. Shoots appear on day 6-14. The minimum temperature is + 6 + 8 degrees, but in the cold the plant will germinate longer.
- After 10-12 days after the emergence of shoots, the film can be removed, and the rows can be burst.
- After a couple of days, thin the crops (the distance between the plants is 15 cm for vegetable varieties, 8 cm for ordinary ones).
- Prepare containers for landing. These can be large boxes or individual pots with a volume of about 250 ml. At the bottom it is necessary to make drainage holes, and at the bottom put pebbles or expanded clay.
- Soak the seeds as described above.
- Sow seeds in prepared pots or boxes to a depth of 1-1.5 cm.
- Liberally moisten the ground with a pulvelinator.
- Cover the pots with plastic wrap and put in a warm place.
- Do not allow the soil to dry out.
- When seedlings appear with 2-3 true leaves, plant them in separate pots or swoop so that the distance between the plants is at least 20 cm.
- When can you plant seedlings in open ground? Exactly one month after the emergence of shoots. Before planting, the seedlings must be hardened: take it out for a week outdoors.
- For the landing, prepare the wells at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other of such depth that the weighing soil from the seedling pot can fit there.
- Weed the weeds so that they do not drown out the growth of fennel itself.
- Water every five days (10-15 liters of water per square meter of soil). It is especially important to maintain soil moisture in the first week after planting, so that the plants are well rooted. Mulching will help retain moisture in the soil.
- Fertilize twice a season (the first immediately after thinning). Can solution of mullein or chicken droppings.
- Spud 2-3 times per season to a height of 3-7 cm. Especially important for vegetable varieties.
When landing in spring:
Step-by-step instructions for growing seedlings
Fennel is grown with seedlings in areas where summer is short and frost is likely. This is especially important for vegetable varieties in which heads are formed. If the seedlings germinate in a long daylight, the formation of heads is difficult. In this case, the landing begin to do in February and March.
How to care at first?
In open ground, fennel does not require special care. The following important points should be observed:
What is bad next to the garden?
Fennel is better to plant away from most other cultures., because with a lack of moisture, it takes it away from other plants with its long roots. But the beans, spinach, cumin and pepper have a negative effect on fennel itself. It is better to avoid neighborhood with them.
In conclusion, it can be noted that fennel is used very widely and not only in cooking. Greens, cabbages and even the seeds themselves are used as spice. This aromatic plant has a beneficial effect on digestion and has expectorant properties. Its useful qualities will certainly reward you for your efforts to grow it.
