When to sow fennel for seedlings. How to grow fennel from seeds in the country

Among all the spice plants that I grow on my site, there is one that deserves our special attention. This plant is fennel.

Fennel attracted me with its healing properties and extraordinary decorative effect.

At first glance, it is very similar to dill, but, being the closest relative of fennel, fennel still has a number of differences.

It has a pleasant anise smell, a sweetish-spicy taste, a much larger amount of all kinds of vitamins, and fennel grows with a powerful bush (more than 1 meter in height).

And vegetable varieties of fennel form juicy and very healthy heads of cabbage from leaf petioles, which are successfully used in cooking.

The history of this small herbaceous plant goes back to the mystical Egypt of ancient times.

For the first time, fennel was mentioned in the ancient Egyptian medical encyclopedia - the legendary Ebers papyrus. The inhabitants of archaic Greece attributed unique powers to this herb - according to their legend, it was in the stem of the fennel plant that the gods of Olympus brought fire to people.

• In the Middle Ages, they could not do without odorous grass - after all, it (according to legend) drove away evil forces. A bundle of plants was necessarily hung over the entrance to the dwelling.

Culinary experts were familiar with this spice ancient india and China. Fragrant grass was considered a symbol of success and good health.

After all, the fennel culture was famous not only as a spice in culinary dishes, but also as a noble doctor, curing many diseases.

Fennel - the hero of our time

♦ Medicine. This herb has accumulated a huge amount of useful elements in its composition. Everyone has heard about "dill water" - not a single mother can do without it.

This is fennel, whose properties have a mild antispasmodic, disinfectant and diuretic effect - it is recommended even for the smallest crumbs to relieve intestinal spasms.

• Fennel essential oil is advised to be used after feasts with a lot of fatty foods (it perfectly removes toxins from the body).
• Fennel tincture is used externally to treat fungal infections.
• Weed powder is included in a variety of effective antitussive drugs (the plant has a powerful expectorant effect).

Doctors prescribe fennel, whose medicinal properties help restore appetite and improve digestion, to people suffering from gastrointestinal ailments.

Breastfeeding mothers can successfully use a decoction of the plant to increase lactation.

And if you add a few drops of wonderful herb etherol to the aroma lamp, its sweet anise aroma will perfectly calm the overexcited nervous system, reduce aggression and drive away feelings of anxiety.

The "summer smell" of the spice improves mood well.

• A fragrant plant as a sedative, pediatricians recommend for use by children from the age of 4 months.

Fennel helps maintain a diet (due to its rich composition with active substances, the herb fully provides the body with vitamins and important trace elements).

Attention! Fennel, beneficial features which helps with numerous ailments and problems, has contraindications! It should not be used in the presence of epileptic diseases.

An overdose of this herb can cause allergies and indigestion.

♦ Cooking. Fennel leaves and seeds are used in cooking. They have a very pleasant aroma.

Fresh leaves are added to various fruit salads to spice them up, fill fish, meat dishes, vegetable soups.

Grass stalks perfectly set off marinades for pickling cucumbers, tomatoes, sauerkraut.

The roots of the plant are also suitable for food (they are boiled and grated).

I advise you to cook a salad with fennel, the recipe of which you will learn from this video:

Varieties and types of amazing fennel

Agricultural technicians divide the culture into two types: ordinary (it is grown for fragrant leaves and fruits) and vegetable (headed or Italian / Florentine).

Vegetable varieties are cultivated to obtain a fleshy trunk and large leaf petioles used in cooking.

Gardener's Secret. Choose plant varieties based on the season in which you decide to plant them. If spring, autumn fennel species are planted in the summer, the culture will go into the arrow with growth.

♦ Common fennel. In the people it is also called "pharmacy dill", "sweet dill".

It is most popular with gardeners. Fragrant, spreading bush can grow up to 1-2 meters. The stem of the plant is straight, slightly ribbed and rounded.

Each shoot has a complex umbrella, including 11-27 ordinary umbrellas. One simple umbrella bears 10-25 flowers.

• The flowers of the culture of this variety are very small, yellow in color, having a five-petal corolla.

The plant begins to bloom in June-August, its cylindrical fruits of brownish-green color with numerous longitudinal ribs are formed in July-September.

This species is an excellent honey plant, insects successfully pollinate it. Very sweet-tasting seeds ripen in September.

♦ Vegetable fennel. Varieties of vegetable plant species have a highly branched stem with a fleshy, head-shaped thickening at the leaf petioles.

In the State Register there are 7 vegetable varieties of crops and one hybrid:

• Aroma. Mid-season view (harvest can be harvested after 75-78 days). A fairly productive variety (2-3 kg of greenery can be harvested from m²).
• Luzhnikovsky Semko. A low head plant (up to 50-60 cm) will bring you dense small heads of cabbage weighing up to 150 g. Heads of cabbage are white with small voids.
• Daredevil. The plant is mid-season, low (up to 50 cm) grows small heads of cabbage weighing up to 100 g. This variety is interesting in that it can form heads in long day conditions.
• Corvette. With fragrant heads of whitish color, a low variety (grass grows only up to 60 cm) will please the owner after 120-125 days. The heads are dense, reaching a mass of 300 g. Productivity: from m² you can collect heads of up to 3 kg, greens up to 1.2 kg.
• Soprano. Mid-season variety (elastic heads ripen 115 days after planting). Plant of medium height (up to 150 cm), very branched. The sprouts are small, up to 100 g, white and elastic. Productivity per m²: heads of cabbage up to 2 kg, greens up to 4 kg.
• Leader. Early ripe variety (only 40-50 days pass until the crop ripens). Its greens must be removed before flowering, the plant is tall - up to 170 cm, has large leaves.
• Autumn handsome. Early ripe species (until ripening takes about 40 days). The bush is characterized by high growth (up to 180 cm). Its main feature: a very gentle, delicate aroma of greenery.
• Rudy F1 (hybrid). Mid-season head fennel. Heads of cabbage are very large, can gain weight up to 300 g, dense, rounded, with a color from white to light green.

You can try to acquire essential oil varieties (Chernivtsky, Krymsky), varieties of foreign breeders (Sicilian, Italian large), as well as pretty ornamental plant species with elegant purple-bronze, copper leaves, which change their color as they develop (Giant Bronze and Purpureum).

Tips for Growing Fennel

Fragrant grass is very demanding on soil conditions and moisture. Land for cultivation must be carefully tilled and thoroughly fertilized with organic additives.

Places for him choose small and well-lit.

• Growing in conditions middle lane tender fennel may not survive the winter, and is mainly bred as a one-year-old plant for foliage. But with careful shelter, the grass can still overwinter and give the owner fruits (flowering stems and inflorescences are formed in the plant only in the second year).

In winter, fennel plantations can be covered with peat, manure, sawdust, and humus. Previously, all the greens must be cut from the bushes.

Growing from seeds

Fennel seeds do not lose their properties for up to three years. To increase the chances of their germination, preparation should be carried out: scatter the seeds on fabric (preferably white, natural).

Wrap the material and place it in a container filled with a growth stimulator (a weak solution of manganese is also suitable).

• Make sure that the seed cloth does not float on the surface, but is completely immersed in the solution.

Keep the seeds in solution should be about 4 hours. If you want to sow a plant in the garden, take the month of April for this procedure.

But some experienced gardeners successfully practice autumn work (sowing is done in early September). At the same time, the autumn view is not capricious and does not need special additional care (unlike sown in spring).

Spring sowing needs additional warming with covering agents (you can also sow fennel in a greenhouse). Important nuance:

• The culture of vegetable varieties must be sown after June 20th (this will save the plant from excessive stretching of the bushes - because of this, the heads of cabbage will not be able to develop well).

Regardless of the timing of sowing seeds, they must be deepened to a depth of 2-3 cm.

The beds are prepared in advance: if necessary, they lime the soil and fill it with humus (a bucket per m²), stale sawdust (a two-liter jar per m²). You can add a little mineral fertilizer.

During spring sowing, the bed should be covered with a film until sowing in order to retain moisture.

• The sowing rate of fennel seeds is about 3-10 kg/ha. Simultaneously with sowing, superphosphate should be applied at the rate of 50 kg/ha.

When sowing, keep the distance between rows at 50-60 cm. Seeds begin to germinate on the 5-6th day (they need a minimum temperature of + 6-8 ° C).

A week and a half after sowing, the first thinning can already be carried out (while trying to keep the distance between shoots at 20-25 cm).

Growing seedlings

In the middle lane and in areas with a short summer, fennel is best grown in seedlings. To do this, sow the seeds in February-March in boxes.

After the emergence of seedlings, the plant should dive into separate pots. Or thin out plantings with a distance of 20 cm between plants.

After a month, the plant can be transplanted to a permanent place of residence, maintaining a distance between seedlings of 40 cm.

• Growing fennel seedlings is especially suitable for vegetable varieties. Very often, plants cannot fully form heads when sown with seeds (they are prevented by unsuitable daylight hours, which are too long for the plant to require).

When planting fennel in the garden, try to plant it separately from other crops. If the grass does not have enough moisture, fennel can produce long roots that can take moisture from its neighbors.

And spinach, beans, peppers, caraway seeds growing in the neighborhood will greatly inhibit fennel plantings, inhibiting its development and growth.

The culture will grow better on soils where its predecessors were crops under which various organic fertilizers were applied (cabbage, potatoes, cucumbers, peas).

culture care

Caring for an odorous plant is quite simple. Be sure to weed the weeds, but do not pull them out, but cut them (some types of weeds can improve the structure of the soil and protect it from drying out).

♦ Fertilizers. The first top dressing should be applied to your pet immediately after the first thinning. Mullein infusion is perfect. It can be used in different ways

1. For incorporation into the ground. Dilute fresh manure at the rate of a part of mullein to 3 parts of water.
2. For planting watering. We breed our "working" solution of mullein, prepared, used for incorporation into the soil (in a ratio of 1x10).

We carry out top dressing twice for the whole season. Several times during the season, fennel plantations should be fertilized with chicken manure (litter is diluted with water in a ratio of 1x50).

♦ Hilling. Planting plants should be spudded at 3-7 cm in height. In total, hilling will require 2-3 per season.

Hilling is necessary to obtain more fleshy and bleached fennel sprouts.

• Before the hilling procedure, many gardeners attach protection to each fennel bush (a plastic ring cut from a two-liter bottle). This technique helps to avoid soiling the plant with soil.

♦ Watering. The plant needs high soil moisture. It should be watered every 5-6 days (based on 10-15 liters of water per m²).

It should be watered in the autumn, not rainy period.

Harvesting

Heads of vegetable varieties are cut near the very surface of the earth (they can be removed when their diameter becomes 8-10 cm).

If you cut a head of cabbage 3 cm above its base, after a few weeks, fresh, young leaves will grow in this place.

It is best to store cabbages in the cool conditions of the basement buried in the sand. Before that, remove all the leaves from them, leave only the petiole 10 cm long.

• Heads of cabbage can also be stored in the refrigerator (they can lie there for about a week).

And when growing fennel ordinary, fresh green parts can be cut off when the plant reaches a height of 25-30 cm.

During this period, fennel greens have the brightest aroma.

• The best time for harvesting fragrant crops: late evening or early morning due to dew.

If you're growing weed for seed, you'll have to wait two years for it to flower. The plant will tell you when the seeds ripen - at this time the inflorescences will change their color from greenish to yellow-brown.

The young plant may be threatened by the attacks of voracious beetles and may beetles. Harm fragrant plantings and aphids, bugs (umbrella and striped), thrips.

Fennel can be gnawed with pleasure by the caterpillars of the swallowtail and carrot butterflies, caraway moth and umbrella moth.

• In order to prevent the invasion of various hungry beetles on the plantation of fragrant grass, equip them with trapping grooves around the circumference of the site.

Remember! When growing crops for greens, no chemical treatments of plants are allowed! There are proven folk methods for this:

• Mustard powder. Pour dry mustard (100 g) with a bucket of hot water and leave for 1-2 days.
• Marigold nails. Boil flowers (100 g) in a liter of water. Then let it brew in the dark and warm for about 5 days. Before use, dilute in water in a ratio of 1x1.
• Potato tops. Pour green tops (1 kg) or dry leaves with tops (0.5 kg) with a bucket of heated water. Insist 4 hours.
• Nettle. Chop the plant (you need to use it before the formation of seeds). Fill a bucket of chopped nettles with rainwater. Leave for a day, but do not bring to fermentation.
• Onion. Dilute the onion feather (200 g) in a bucket of water, add laundry soap (30 g) to it. The mass should be insisted for 5 days.
• Dandelion. Add a bucket of tepid water to the green mass of the crushed plant (400 g), leave for 2-3 hours.
• Chamomile. Chop the leaves and flowers of the plant. Dilute the green mass (1 kg) with hot water (10 l). Leave for about 12 hours. Before use, the product must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1x3.
• Garlic. Pass the garlic heads through a meat grinder and pour the mass (200 g) with warm water (10 l). Infuse the solution for about a day.
• Wood ash. Pour the sifted ash (3 kg) with a bucket of water. Leave for about 2-3 days.

Of the diseases, the culture may suffer from cercosporosis (its pathogen is transmitted through seeds). Of the ailments, the plant is also threatened by phomosis, septoria, spotting and wilting.

Fennel is a fairly resistant crop to diseases and competent agricultural technology and complete cleaning of all plant residues will help to completely protect it from diseases.

• As a preventive measure, Bordeaux liquid will do just fine (dilute 100 g of lime and 10 g of copper sulfate in 10 liters of water).

All decoctions and infusions are best made directly on the day of use. After infusion, the funds must be carefully filtered.

Planting crops are processed in the spring and immediately at the first sign of the appearance of an ailment or pests.

We got acquainted with another wonderful spicy plant from my collection.

See you soon, dear readers!

Fennel is a healthy aromatic plant that is often used for medicinal purposes and is an ingredient in many dishes. You can grow this culture with your own hands on your personal plot. We will tell you how to plant and grow fennel in this article.

Description of the crop and common varieties

Fennel is a perennial herbaceous plant from the Umbrella family. Despite the fact that the culture belongs to perennials, gardeners in our country prefer to breed it as an annual. The most popular variety of this plant is vegetable fennel, which has delicious fruits widely used in cooking.

The culture belongs to tall species, its erect stem can grow up to 2 m in height. Distinctive features of the plant are a powerful rhizome, dense branching and the presence of a whitish coating on the green part of the bush. Fennel foliage resembles dill leaves in appearance and has a bright green tint. During the flowering period, the culture produces umbrella-type inflorescences covered with small yellow flowers.

As for the most common varieties of fennel, Russian gardeners prefer to grow the following types:

1. Variety "Aroma" refers to mid-season crops, the seeds of which ripen approximately 75-78 days after planting the bush. The yield of the variety is 2-3 kg of fruits per 1 m² of the planted area.
2. "Leader" is an early ripening fennel variety. The height of its stem is 170-180 cm, the seeds of the culture ripen 40-50 days after planting.
3. Variety "Udalets" refers to mid-season and medium-sized crops growing up to 60 cm in height. The weight of one fruit of this fennel variety is approximately 120 g.
4. Among the mid-season varieties, fennel "Luzhnikovsky Semko" can be distinguished. Its fruits are quite large and reach 220 g in weight. The seeds of the plant ripen 75-80 days after planting.
5. "Autumn Handsome" is an early-ripening fennel with a ripening period of 37-40 days. The height of the stem of this plant reaches 1.5-1.8 m. The green foliage has a delicate pleasant aroma.

Features of growing fennel

When cultivating fennel in your area, it is important to know some of the subtleties of growing this crop:

1. In the garden or in the garden, it is better to place a bed with fennel separately from other plants. The culture should be well moistened and follow all the rules of care. If the fennel does not have enough moisture or nutrients in its area, it will stretch its roots to the beds with other plants.
2. When growing fennel, it is important to know that it reproduces well by self-sowing.
3. The cultures that fennel will be adjacent to also matter. For example, planting it next to legumes, tomatoes, peppers, cumin, and spinach is undesirable, as fennel will oppress its neighbors. But it has a beneficial effect on the growth of cabbage and cucumbers, repelling aphids with its smell.
4. When planting fennel near cucumbers, be sure to water both crops frequently.
5. Fennel is considered a useful plant not only for the human body, but also for the garden. The aroma of this plant during its flowering attracts pollinating insects to the site.

Growing fennel from seeds

A popular way to propagate fennel is to sow seeds. The germination of the seed of this crop is quite good and is 2-3 years after harvest. Sometimes fennel is bred by dividing the root, but this method is used extremely rarely due to greater complexity and worse survival.

You can plant fennel seeds in the soil twice a year: in early spring or autumn. The first landing occurs in April-May, the second - in August-September. When planting, the seeds are deepened into the ground by 2 cm. Fertilizers are first applied to the soil: humus and slaked lime. The proportions of nutrients are approximately as follows: about 1 bucket of humus is applied per 1 m² of land. You can also add mineral compounds to the soil, for example, 2 tbsp. superphosphate per 1 m² of land.

After the spring sowing of seeds, the bed is covered with plastic wrap and left in this form until sprouts break out of the soil. The film will help provide seedlings with greenhouse conditions and sufficient humidity.

To grow fennel on the site, it is important to choose high-quality seed. You can buy seeds in a specialized store, where they most often offer two varieties of fennel: ordinary and vegetable. Ordinary or pharmacy fennel is grown for seeds or greens, while in the vegetable variety, the most valuable are the fruits used for culinary purposes.

Fennel seeds germinate about 10 days after planting. Young sprouts must be dived, removing excess plants, then the remaining heads of cabbage will develop fully and the crop will be of high quality.

After picking, the plants should be at least 15 cm apart. Sprouted stems need to be fertilized with a solution of mullein.

fennel care

Timely and abundant watering is one of the most important conditions for growing such a crop. Fennel loves water and prefers well-drained soil. If there is not enough moisture in the ground, the plants will begin to take root in neighboring beds, taking water from other garden crops. It is also recommended to periodically loosen the ground around the fennel plantings, and so that the water does not evaporate too quickly from the soil, the ground is mulched.

In order for the fennel fruits to actively develop, at the beginning of summer the stems are periodically spud, giving the roots access to oxygen. Fennel is also recommended to be fertilized from time to time, for this purpose a liquid solution of mullein or an infusion of green grass is well suited.

Growing fennel seedlings

Some gardeners prefer not to sow seeds immediately in open ground, but first grow seedlings in a greenhouse or in a greenhouse. Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out in late February or early March. With this method, the sprouts that have broken through can not dive, but many gardeners advise at least one thinning just before planting the sprouts in open soil.

For vegetable fennel, the seedling method is considered the best option, as it allows you to get an excellent harvest of fruits later. When planting seeds immediately on a bed, fennel sometimes cannot form heads, since the length of daylight hours does not suit it. In greenhouse conditions, this factor can be adjusted independently, the plant will receive a sufficient amount of light, and the fruits will come out large.

When transplanting seedlings of vegetable fennel to a garden bed, it is necessary to observe a distance of 40 cm between the sprouts. The principles of care in such a case are no different from those described above. Fennel needs high-quality watering, loosening, periodic top dressing.

fennel pests

If the summer is cold and rainy, fennel can be affected by gray rot. Fennel often suffers from the attack of caraway or carrot moths. Around May, the moth lays its larvae on plants, and by the beginning of summer they turn into caterpillars. Caterpillars actively eat the green parts and fruits of fennel, and also entangle the inflorescences with cobwebs. To get rid of moths, damaged parts or even whole plants are best uprooted and burned. Pest prevention can be regular weeding, timely collection of seeds and treatment of plantings with special solutions.

The use of fennel for practical purposes

Fennel is often used in medicine due to the fact that it has good healing properties. It is considered an anti-inflammatory and bactericidal agent, capable of acting on the body as a diuretic and antioxidant. Among other things, helminthiasis is treated with fennel, and its analgesic properties make it possible to use the culture for many diseases accompanied by pain and inflammation.

Fennel as part of complex therapy is used to treat bronchitis and other respiratory diseases. It is used for flatulence and intestinal colic in infants. Fennel helps to dilate blood vessels, remove bile, treat urolithiasis, improve appetite and the digestive tract, eliminate constipation, diarrhea and dysbacteriosis.

People with gum disease and bad breath can perform fennel rinses. The aroma of this plant has a relaxing effect, relieves stress, calms the nerves, improves memory and concentration, tones the body and improves brain activity. Women during lactation take fennel to increase the amount breast milk, and men with the help of this plant are struggling with potency problems. Restorative properties allow the use of fennel in cosmetology, where it is part of anti-wrinkle products.

Many amateur gardeners are interested in growing vegetable fennel from seeds. Vegetable fennel is a southern crop, and planting this plant in the ground has its own specifics. When to plant fennel? It must be planted when the soil is already well warmed up. In the conditions of the Russian Middle Stripe, it is most reliable to grow a plant from seeds at home (on a windowsill) or in a greenhouse.

However, with proper care, it will grow well in open field. The main thing is to properly prepare the seeds intended for cultivation for planting. Caring for the first shoots requires a lot of time and effort, as fennel develops rather slowly in the first days.

What does fennel look like

In the people it is called "pharmaceutical dill." Indeed, this plant is a close "relative" of dill and also belongs to the numerous umbrella family. However, in fact, fennel is not like dill. Many amateur gardeners refuse to grow it due to the fact that its greens have a very specific sweetish taste. However, this is a big mistake, because he is a real storehouse of vitamins.

You can distinguish this plant from other garden greens by the following features:

• Characteristic sweetish aroma of leaves and seeds;
• Well developed inflorescences-umbrellas with oval oblong seeds;
• High growth;
• Elastic strong stems.

But most importantly, how fennel differs from other green plants - unusual root system . Instead of a fibrous or tap root system, there are small tubers resembling heads of cabbage. It is from these tubers that green shoots with umbrella inflorescences grow.

Among Russian summer residents, vegetable fennel is not very popular, since growing it from seeds and caring for a plant in the open field is quite troublesome. Also, Russian summer residents are very ambiguous about the taste. Many do not see the point in planting from the seeds of this crop, because they do not like the sweetish taste and specific aroma. Indeed, despite the outward resemblance to dill, the taste and smell of vegetable fennel is completely different.

fennel vegetable actively used in cooking also in Ancient Greece and in Ancient Rome. It is especially popular in the Caucasus and in Central Asia. It is consumed both fresh and dried; either alone or in combination with other spices. It is traditionally used during cooking:

• meat dishes;
• fish dishes;
• vegetable salads;
• Home conservation.

Due to the large amount of fragrant essential oils, it is also used in the industrial production of some alcoholic beverages and confectionery.

In the Caucasus, this plant is traditionally used for marinating meat for making barbecue. Fennel contributes to a longer storage of meat and prevents the growth of pathogenic bacteria in it. Previously, when people did not have refrigerators, and the issue of proper food storage was very acute, many housewives added it to ready meals to extend the shelf life of food.

It must be borne in mind that fragrant essential masses, which are contained in the plant, can cause an allergic reaction. This happens infrequently, but such cases have been noted. In this regard, allergy sufferers should use fennel with great care. Also, medicine is aware of cases of individual intolerance to the components that make up the plant. However, most often it is well absorbed and does not cause rejection, although not everyone likes its specific smell.

Fennel in the cosmetics industry

Recently, fennel has been actively used in the beauty industry. The essential oils contained in the plant have an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect, so they are often included in medical cosmetics: creams, cleansing lotions and tonics. Outstanding perfumers of our planet have long adopted a strong and bright aroma of "pharmaceutical dill". Fennel essential oil is often found in perfumes and toilet waters. Perfumery products containing the essential oil of this plant usually have a persistent aroma.

Fennel is actively used in aromatherapy. The essential oil of the plant has a tonic effect, increases the resistance and endurance of the body, increases appetite and normalizes metabolism.

Fennel as a medicinal plant

Fennel is one of the most famous medicinal plants. healing properties possess both the leaves and stems of the plant, and its seeds. This plant is also called "pharmaceutical" dill "just because its seeds traditionally used by apothecaries for preparing various medicines: tea, infusions and decoctions.

Fennel tea has the following properties:

• Reduces the intensity of the inflammatory process;
• Liquefies phlegm and is an effective expectorant;
• Relieves spasms;
• Normalizes digestion, reduces gas formation and fights bloating.

Many pediatricians still recommend drinking "dill water" for young children suffering from intestinal colic. In fact, the so-called "dill water" is a tea made from fennel seeds, which has a carminative effect. Such tea can be purchased at the pharmacy in a bagged form, or you can make it yourself at home. To do this, pour a handful of fennel seeds with a glass of boiling water, cover and insist.

When the broth cools down a bit and becomes not hot, but warm, it needs carefully strain through a sieve. After that you can give it to an infant, from a spoon or from a bottle. You can use this safe medicine both at the time of intestinal colic, and daily, for prevention. And those who do not have seeds for self-preparation of tea can purchase a ready-made phytopreparation "Plantex" at the pharmacy. In fact, this is the same fennel tea, but in the form of a soluble powder.

Also, pharmacies sell packaged children's tea for coughs and colds. It can be used by children from five months. Fennel is part of herbal preparations to increase lactation, recommended for nursing mothers. However, not all infants willingly drink medicines based on this plant due to the fact that they have a specific taste and aroma.

It is believed that fennel essential oils improve indoor air, promote the destruction of pathogenic microbes and fungi. Also, "pharmaceutical dill" is part of numerous herbal preparations to increase immunity, for the treatment of diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract. Doctors often prescribe, in addition to antibiotics, infusions and decoctions of fennel seeds for bronchitis and pneumonia.

Preparing seeds for planting in open ground

Growing fennel from seeds is a very interesting activity. Seeds intended for cultivation can be purchased at specialized stores or from fellow gardeners. Those gardeners who have been growing this crop for a long time usually grow it from their own seeds.

The seeds of the plant are a bit like dill seeds, but they can be distinguished from each other quite easily. The seeds of "pharmaceutical dill" have a lighter shade and a more elongated shape. They are also slightly larger in size than ordinary dill seeds.

Many summer residents refuse to grow it, because it seeds germinate very slowly. Indeed, due to the high concentration of fragrant essential oils in the seeds of "pharmaceutical dill", it sometimes takes quite a long time to wait for the first shoots, especially if the weather does not indulge in heat. But this problem can be solved using seed stratification. Stratification is the process of preparing seeds for planting, based on the successive action of moisture and cold.

First, the seed is soaked, while the rotten seeds are removed in a timely manner, and then the remnants that have successfully survived the soaking are placed in a special container and sent to the refrigerator. There they are stored until spring comes - the time of sowing. You should not hurry with sowing, as he loves warmth and sun. In areas where spring is often cold and cloudy, many summer residents have adapted to grow this southern plant in a greenhouse. To prevent fungal infections, seeds can be soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate before planting.

Outdoor care

Caring for fennel in the open field has its own specifics.

First of all, the summer resident must understand: fennel, unlike other greens, cannot be sown between rows with other plants. The essential oils contained in the seeds of "pharmaceutical dill" significantly slow down the growth and development of crops growing in the neighborhood. In this regard, it is necessary to grow a plant in a specially designated place. You can fence this place with ropes or wooden pegs.

Fennel in the areas of Russian summer residents has long ceased to be exotic. However, not all gardeners have appreciated the taste and useful properties of this wonderful plant. And it’s completely in vain, because it is a great alternative to traditional dill and parsley. Its piquant sweetish taste will completely change the usual dishes, and healing infusions and decoctions from the seeds will help improve the health of both adults and children.

Recently, more and more often you can meet gardeners who are experimenting by growing unusual crops in the country. For example, fennel, a dill-like perennial with an aniseed flavor, falls into this category. There are 2 types of fennel - vegetable and ordinary (pharmaceutical dill).

Almost all its parts are used, from the leaf to the seeds.

Petioles are added to saltings and marinades, the green part, including leaves and shoots in salads and wherever dill could be used, baked goods are also sprinkled with seeds, and tea is brewed for small children from colic in the stomach.

Fennel has decorative varieties "Purpureum", "Giant Bronze", which give the flower garden an elegant mood.

In order to prevent self-seeding, emerging inflorescences are removed.

Fennel is a rather capricious plant. Grow it from seeds or seedlings in fertile, loose soil. Carry out if necessary. Plant fennel in a sunny area.

Growing fennel

You can not grow fennel near spinach, tomatoes, beans, peppers, legumes. This plant loves water very much, therefore, if there is no problem of constant watering, then it is better to plant it next to cucumbers and cabbages in order to hold and attract many beneficial insects at the same time.

Sowing fennel seeds in open ground

Prepare the soil for sowing seeds: spread on 1 sq.m. ash (0.5 kg) and compost (1 kg diluted in a bucket of water), water.

• In mid-April, fennel seeds are sown in open ground to a depth of 2 cm.
• After 7-10 days, carry out the first thinning of seedlings, maintaining a distance between plants of 20 cm.
• Due to the threat of return frosts for a month, make a film shelter.

In order for fennel greens to be all season, sow also in mid-May, also with a film cover.

Seeds can be sown towards the end of June, when daylight hours begin to decrease. This will become a kind of guarantor of the development of "heads of cabbage" so that the fennel does not start to shoot, stretch and bloom.

Growing fennel seedlings

In a short summer, for the middle lane, grow fennel better seedlings. To do this, in mid-May, sow the seeds in a seedling box. Shoot the shoots into separate pots or thin out, making the distance between plants 20 cm. In a month, plant them in a permanent place, after the end of frost, keeping the distance between plants 40 cm.

fennel care

Water every 5-6 days with 10-15 liters of water per 1 sq.m. Without water, plants will begin to let out their powerful roots to neighboring crops in order to draw out all the moisture from there, in which case they will grow nearby. To keep moisture in the soil as long as possible, mulch the bed.

Hill plants to a height of 2-3 cm several times per season (immediately after thinning and further as needed).

Collection

Fennel seeds are often harvested the next year during the flowering period.

However, with good light and stable warm weather, they may have time to ripen in the current season, they turn brown.

Dried in a ventilated dark place and threshed. Store in a dry place.

The roots are dug up, the earth is removed, washed, dried and cut for freezing or drying.

"Kochanchiki" are cut when they become about 10 cm in diameter, around September.

After reading our article, you will learn how to carry out growing fennel from seed. Fennel, popularly referred to as pharmacy dill, differs from all familiar cultures in an aniseed smell and capricious character. If growing ordinary dill is easy even for an inexperienced summer resident, harvest fennel- a problem even for skilled gardeners.

Low yield and undesirable neighborhood fennel in the garden with other crops - the reasons for the refusal of gardeners to plant this plant. For those who are still not afraid of difficulties and still dream of growing a relative of dill under their windows, the rules will help growing fennel from seed and caring for him.

Description of fennel: varieties and types

A perennial plant from the Apiaceae family, fennel, is divided into two types:

• ordinary;
• vegetable(headed/italian).

fennel vegetable

vegetable fennel has a juicy, fleshy stem with dense branching and pinnate green leaves with large petioles. Its stem is tall and straight, about two meters high, with dense branching and a slight bluish bloom. The roots of the plant are several rods, the diameter of which is 1-2 centimeters. flowers fennel small, yellow, collected in flat umbrellas, like dill flowers. Seeds, sweetish in taste, ripen by early autumn and have an oblong shape.

In cooking, all parts of the culture are used: from roots to flowers and seeds.

Vegetable fennel varieties

The State Register recorded 7 fennel vegetable varieties and one hybrid:

Aroma. Mid-season variety (matures in 75-78 days). The crop gives a fairly high crop: 1 sq. m of sowing brings about 3 kg of greenery.

Luzhnikovsky Semko. Mid-season variety (cookie ripening period 53-68 days). The stem is 60 cm long, during the flowering period it can reach one meter or more. Heads of cabbage are white, pale green in color, dense in structure with rare voids. Their weight ranges from 150 g to 220 g.

Daredevil. Kind of mid-season. Fennel this variety grows, as a rule, up to 50 cm.

Corvette. Fragrant heads of white color are ready for use 120-125 days after sowing. The mass of one head of cabbage can reach 300 g. The variety gives a high yield: from 1 sq. m you can collect up to 3 kg of dense heads of cabbage and up to 2 kg of greens.

Soprano. A branched plant, the stem of which can reach 150 cm. Its elastic heads of cabbage will delight gardeners 115 days after planting. Their weight, as a rule, does not exceed 100 g. Harvest 1 square. m is up to 4 kg of succulent stems and leaves and up to 2 kg of heads of cabbage.

Leader. Early ripe species (40-50 days pass from sowing to harvest). Plant height can exceed one and a half meters. The culture is distinguished by large leaves. The green parts are cut off before flowering.

Autumn handsome. Early ripe variety (harvesting can be done after 40 days). Also a high culture, the height of which is nearly 2 meters. Distinctive feature species - a gentle smell of greenery.

Rudy F1 (hybrid). Mid-season culture. Large round-shaped heads of cabbage weighing up to 300 g, the color of which varies from white to light green.

Fennel ordinary

A fragrant, branchy plant with a straight, slightly ribbed stem up to 2 m high. Popular names: “pharmacy dill”, “sweet dill”.

10 to 25 small, yellow flowers fennel common are collected in umbrellas, forming a large inflorescence. A complex umbrella consists of 11-27 ordinary ones.

Flowering occurs in June-August, the formation of greenish-brown, cylindrical two-seeded fruits with longitudinal ribs occurs in July-September. flowers fennel pollinated by insects. Its seeds, sweet in taste, ripen by the beginning of autumn.

Growing fennel seeds

Sow fennel in areas well lit by the sun. It does not tolerate cold winters well, so many gardeners grow up, as an annual plant for fresh greens. With good cover fennel there is a chance to overwinter and bear fruit next season (education seeds occurs two years after planting)

As a winter shelter, you can use peat, manure, sawdust and humus. Before preparing the plant for wintering, all its shoots should be removed by carefully cutting them off with scissors.

Advice! It is better to sow fennel in those areas where crops that fertilize the soil used to grow. This includes all types of cabbage, peas, lupins, etc.

Seeds of "pharmaceutical dill" remain suitable for sowing for three years. Growth stimulants or a weak solution of potassium permanganate will give them an extra chance to sprout. To do this, it is enough to place the seeds in a bag of white, natural fabric (or just wrap it in it) and immerse it in a bowl filled with stimulating liquid for 4 hours.

Seeding seeds in the soil can be done both in spring (April) and autumn (September).

Fennel, sown in autumn, is not picky and does not require any additional care. Then, as a spring crop, it is necessary to additionally warm it or sow it in a greenhouse.

Autumn and spring sowings do not belong to varieties vegetable fennel. The latter is sown in the second decade of June to prevent the bushes from stretching, which prevents the development of heads of cabbage.

Optimum seeding depth seeds- 2-3 cm. The soil is prepared for sowing in advance, carrying out the following procedures if necessary:

• liming;
• filling with humus (bucket per 1 sq. m) and sawdust (two-liter jar per 1 sq. m);
• application of mineral fertilizers (1 tablespoon of nitroammophoska per 10 liters of water).

To preserve moisture during spring sowing, the soil should be covered with polyethylene before sowing.

Sow fennel recommended at the rate of 3-10 kg seeds per 1 hectare of land. The simultaneous introduction of superphosphate into the soil (5 kg of fertilizer per 1 hectare of land) will significantly increase the chances of getting a good harvest.

When sowing, try to form rows at least half a meter apart from each other. At a temperature not lower than + 6 ° C, the sprouts will sprout in 5-6 days.

After another 3-4 days, the seedlings can be thinned out, leaving a distance of 20-25 cm between them.

Watch the video! Growing fennel from seeds

culture care

Fennel is one of the most picky plants and does not require special care. The only thing that needs to be done for a good harvest is to get rid of weeds in a timely manner. In this case, you should not just weed them, but cut them off at the roots, because. Some weeds have a beneficial effect on the condition of the soil.

Fertilizer

To improve the yield, periodically fertilize the soil. For the first time, this should be done immediately when the first shoots appear. Mullein infusion can be used as top dressing. Plants can be fed in two ways:

• Incorporation into the soil. To do this, mix the "working" solution of mullein, prepared with water 1: 3, respectively;
• When watering. In this case, it is recommended to use a solution of mullein mixed with water in a ratio of 1:10.

Healthy! Feed odorous plants should be no more than two times per season. At the same time, periodic fertilizers with chicken manure diluted in water in a ratio of 1:50 are welcome.

Hilling

Hilling should be carried out at 3-7 cm in height. This must be done no more than three times per season. Thanks to this procedure, fennel sprouts are of higher quality - fleshy and bleached.

Watering

Fennel very "loves" water, so you need to water it quite often - once every 5-6 days. This should be done even in autumn, on days when there is no rain.

Pests and diseases

The fragrant plant has many "enemies" among insects:

• Young seedlings are often gnawed by May beetles;
• Also young fennel aphids and umbrella bugs attack;
• Greens are a favorite treat for cutworms and butterfly caterpillars;
• The plant is often eaten different types moth: and carrot, and caraway, as well as umbrella moth.

Important! The crop is grown without any chemical treatments, even in the presence of so many pests.

To get rid of unwanted insects, you can resort to proven folk remedies:

• Dry mustard. 100 g of mustard powder must be poured into 10 liters of hot water and infused for 1-2 days;
• Calendula. 100 g of flowers should be boiled in a liter of water. After that, insist in a dark warm place for 5 days. Before use, it is necessary to add water to the solution in equal proportions;
• Potato tops. 10 liters of water must be heated and pour 1 kg of green tops with it. Let it brew for 4 hours;
• Nettle stems and leaves. Young nettles must be crushed and poured with rainwater, and then insisted for a day. In this case, you need to ensure that the infusion does not ferment;
• Onion. Onions should be chopped to a state of gruel. To 200 g of the resulting puree, add 30 g of laundry soap. Dissolve the mixture in a bucket of water and let it brew for 5 days;
• Dandelion flowers. Infusion of 400 g of crushed dandelions and warm water to withstand for 2-3 hours;
• Leaves and flowers of chamomile. Grind 1 kg of the plant and dilute 10 liters of boiling water in proportions of 1:10. Let it brew for 12 hours. Before use, add water in a ratio of 1:3;
• Garlic head. Using a meat grinder, prepare mashed garlic (200 g), add warm water (10 l). Leave in a dark place for a day;
• Wood ash. 3 kg of ash must be sieved and mixed in a bucket of water. Let it brew for 2-3 days.

Starting a new planting at the place where the old crop was harvested should be no earlier than three years later.

In addition to pests, there is another factor that affects the quality of the crop - these are various diseases. Fennel susceptible to the following diseases:

• cercosporosis;
• phomosis;
• septoria;
• spotting;
• withering.

Cercosporosis is transmitted by seeds, phomosis - pathogens in the soil. Fennel- a disease-resistant plant, and competent care and complete thorough cleaning of plant residues will help to completely protect it from diseases.

To prevent the development of such diseases, Bordeaux mixture can be used. To obtain the product, mix water, lime and blue vitriol in a ratio of 10l:100g:10g. The culture should be treated with this solution in the spring and when signs of the disease appear.

The surest way to prevent insect attack and protect the plant from disease is to use the right agricultural practices, constantly remove plant residues and harvest in a timely manner. Treat the seeds with a disinfectant before sowing.

Harvesting

Head varieties fennel cut off at the very base, when their diameter becomes 8-10 cm. In the event that you cut the head of cabbage a couple of centimeters higher, after some time new leaves will appear.

Advice! To keep the head of cabbage longer, you should keep it in a cool place (basement or refrigerator). At the same time, you need to store only the petiole, cutting off all the leaves from it.

When ordinary fennel grows up to 25-30 cm in height, fresh green stems and leaves can be cut from it.

At this time fragrant aroma fennel most pronounced. It is best to harvest in the late evening or early morning, when dew is still present on the crop.

The plant begins to bloom after 2 years after planting. When the color of the inflorescences acquires a yellow-brown hue, it will be possible to collect seeds for future planting.

The umbrella-shaped heads are cut off and hung to dry. Store seeds in a dry place, preferably in separate paper bags.

Fennel – useful product, the use of which is becoming wider and more popular. That is why this plant takes pride of place among other crops in the garden.

Watch the video! Fennel