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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Florence fennel

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: Dieter Brand <diebrand@yahoo.com>
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Florence fennel
  • Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 01:33:17 -0800 (PST)

I suppose that Florence fennel is the type that forms a bulb? That is one of
my favorite vegetables. According to Hildegard von Bingen, besides spelt and
chestnuts, it is one of the healthiest vegetables in existence. It takes a
bit to acquire a taste for it, but once you like it you can get hooked, and
there are numerous very delicious recipes for eating if cooked or raw.

In the hot and arid Mediterranean climate I live in, I can only grow it in
the autumn to spring period. During the summer, when it is too hot and dry,
it will bolt. I grow transplants for planting in September or February.
When the bulb is big enough, I cut above the ground and leave the root in
place. In my climate, they are perennial or at least biannual. Which means
that the following season, five to ten bulbs may grow again from the same
rootstock. I usually reduce the number to about five so that the remaining
bulbs will grow bigger. This is very practical since I don’t have to plant
them again and since they will grow earlier from the existing rootstock than
the newly planted fennel.

They have very modest nutrient requirements, which makes them ideal for
growing without fertilizers or manure as I do. They do pose a problem for
companion planting though. I found that beans won’t grow anywhere near
fennel. Salads seem to do alright near fennel. Fennel is originally a
Mediterranean plant and I don’t know how well it will do in a cold climate.

Dieter




--- On Sat, 1/30/10, Tradingpost <tradingpost@lobo.net> wrote:

> From: Tradingpost <tradingpost@lobo.net>
> Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Florence fennel
> To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> Date: Saturday, January 30, 2010, 8:12 PM
>
> I have zero experience with it so every little bit helps.
>
> paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>
> *********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
>
> On 1/30/2010 at 2:14 PM Harvey Ussery wrote:
>
> >>
> >> Is anyone here growing Florence fennel? 
> ~paul
> >
> >I grow it most seasons, though am not sure why--we
> don't eat all we grow
> >(obviously it's not a favorite) and it really prefers a
> cooler climate.
> >We're mid-Atlantic, hot humid summers. Thus mine don't
> get as large or
> >juicy as they should.
> >
> >Still, my impression from my limited experience is that
> they are quite
> >easy to grow. I start them as transplants, and have no
> trouble with
> >them, either at the seedling stage or after
> transplanting. I suspect
> >that mine would do better if I remembered to water them
> often.
> >
> >~Harvey
> >
> >--
> >Harvey in northern Virginia
> >www.themodernhomestead.us
> >
> >If you want to be happy for a few hours, get drunk. If
> you want to be
> >happy for a weekend, get married. If you want to be
> happy for a week,
> >butcher a pig. If you want to be happy for all your
> life long, become a
> >gardener.
> >
> >_______________________________________________
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> >http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland
>
>
>
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