How to Grow and Care for Fennel Foeniculum vulgare
Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, is an aromatic Mediterranean herb in the Apiaceae (Umbellifer) family that includes carrots, celery, dill, and parsley.
The edible yellow blossoms, seeds, feathery leaves, pollen, roots, and stems have long been prized for their robust, anise-like fragrance and flavor, and their usefulness as ingredients in cooking, magical potions, and traditional medicine.
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The vulgare species is the sole member of the Foeniculum genus.
Within it, there are numerous subspecies and cultivated varieties, such as common fennel, F. vulgare ssp. vulgare, and bulb-forming Florence fennel, F. vulgare var. azoricum.
F. vulgare is a prolific self-sower, so much so that the common variety has naturalized to the point of being invasive throughout California and the West.
If you grow the common type, you can prevent its spread by removing flower heads before they run to seed.
The Florence variety is usually harvested before the flowers grow, so it is less likely to self-sow.
In this article, I will cover how to cultivate and harvest both common and Florence fennel in your garden.
Remember to consult with your local agricultural extension service before adding fennel to your herb garden.
And please note:
It is possible to be allergic to F. vulgare. Per the Mayo Clinic’s patient healthcare on food allergies resource, if you are allergic to birch or mugwort pollen, and suffer from “oral allergy syndrome,” you may react adversely to fennel consumption.
In addition, if you have known food allergies, particularly to peaches, you may be unable to consume any part
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