I am growing Fennel for the first time from seed and I have no idea what I'm doing! We had wonderful germination, and the seedlings are about 3" tall - though very whispy. When (and how) do I pot up?
Tips would REALLY be appreciated!
Bronze Fennel
This will be my first year growing them from seed, too. I got a couple of pots of bronze fennel at DeBaggio's a few years back, though, and there seemed to be several plants per 4 inch pot, so I'm guessing he used his "clump transplanting" method. I may start them inside, or I may direct sow, but if I start them ahead I'll follow Tom's method. I recently described this on another thread, and will copy to here:
He sows seed fairly thickly in shallow containers, in rows spaced about an inch apart. Cover with plastic wrap or lid until you see the first sign of sprouting, then take off the lid and put them under lights. When the seedlings get their first set of "true" leaves, it's time to transplant. I favor the 6-cell packs that run 48 cells to a flat. Here's a description of Tom's method, in my own words:
Break out a large clump of seedlings from the row, and gently break out smaller clumps of 3 to 5 seedlings. Choose clumps that seem to break away naturally. It defeats the purpose of this method to prick out individual seedlings and then gather them into clumps. Don't touch the delicate stems; just handle the rootball or hold them by their leaves. Make a hole with your finger or a pencil, and lower the clump of seedlings into the hole. Bury the seedlings more deeply than they were growing in the starting tray. Ideally, set the seedlings so the lower nurse leaves (cotyledons, the ones that open before the first "true leaves") are covered, and only the true leaves are above the soil surface. This makes for a stronger, stockier seedling that will also be able to stand on its own when you water it in.
When the clump of seedlings has filled the cell or pot with roots, then (and only then) it is ready to be hardened off and planted out.
And "very whispy" sounds just right for fennel seedlings, so you're doing great!
Thank you! That is very helpful! I alredy goofed, having only planted 2 to a cell, in 3 cells, so lets hope this will be dense enough to grow. (If not, by Jove, we"ll just plant some more! LOL! Live and learn!!
BTW, do you know for sure, is Bronze Fennel one of the non-bulbing varieties? I'm pretty sure I read that last Spring when I was growing my bulbs, but have since received conflicting info.
Appreciate all your help!
I never pulled my pair up back at the townhouse, but I didn't see anything obvious by way of a bulb. They did overwinter for me, though (zone 7a, a tad warmer although only 50 miles south of here). So, sorry, but I don't know for sure either!
Your 2 to a cell plants will be just fine, and now you know they don't need thinning! I've just become enamored of DeBaggio's method, because his "little book" is what really got me started on propagating herbs etc.
Excuse me, I think I have to go seed some fennel now..... you've got me all excited! :-)
Ha!!! Thanks again!
I was reading last night, and found that as far as companion planting goes, they don't do well close to ANYTHING. I was going to start some, but figured I would wait till next year or at least fall. Maybe you two can give updates on your plants, I would be very interested in taht all year!
Hmmm, I don't know. I had them in a bed of mixed perennials at the townhouse, near Orental Lilies, Carnations, Phlox, etc, and everything seemed to do well together. The bronze fennel got huge! They really liked that morning sun.
They may not do *extra* well as companions to anything, but I think they do just fine in a mixed bed. The thing about companion planting is that you can get so caught up in finding the absolute "best" combinations of plants that you can forget most things will do just fine planted to most other things. I'm not saying companion planting isn't a valuable idea, just that it isn't the only possibility.
Definitely keep them away from your tomatoes!!! I had read that, but thought a couple of feet wouldn't matter. The only tomatoes I got NO production on were the 2 closest to the fennel. Coincidence? Maybe - but I won't be doing that again!
The Lamb's Ears, Shrubs and Greens were fine with the fennel, though. One theory I've read re: tomatoes is that bee's don't like the fennel so they steer clear, negatively affecting the tomato polination. True or not, I'm not taking any chances - there's nothing more depressing than big, green tomato plants with no tomatoes!
Maybe it is just veggies that need to stay away from it, and it does fine with flowers. Most companion planting plans involve vegetable production, so that makes sense. I just read that last night in two different books (diff authors too). I think the specific phrase was "doesn't like anything" and "keep away from ****" I can't recall, but if you're interested I will look it up later and post it.
Sequee, that theory makes sense. Many veggies require insect pollination to produce fruit, where as annual or perrenial flowers and other herbs don't necessarily need to go to seed. Hmmmm. I still want some though, maybe this fall...
I know that fennel (non-bullbing one) takes/needs a lot of room. There's plenty growing here in the wild. I like it when it still small and bushy...quite "feathery", I like to touch it. :)
Maybe instead of putting it "in" my garden I'll plant it out by my grasses. I'll bet it would look pretty out there!
I'm pretty sure you can create some natural "dividers" in your garden using bushy fennel, or some pattern of some sort...let's be creative!
if fennel roots are anything like celery, I read that palnting them in a circle makes a haven for earthworms!!! Mike also make interesting patterns...