Vegetables
Florence Fennel 'Zefa Fino'
Florence Fennel · Foeniculum vulgare
This variety produces large, rounded, white bulbs with crispy scales. Resistant to bolting and excellent for successional cropping. Bulbs have delicious, aniseed crunch, and can be eaten raw in salads, or cooked. Foliage makes an ideal garnish. When flowerheads fade, allow seedheads to fully ripen before harvesting seeds to use as a spice.
- Position
- Full Sun to Partial Sun
- Height
- 90cm
- Spread
- 15cm
Growing calendar
Sowing & growing
Best sown in-situ as Florence Fennel does not like root disturbance. Feb-Apr or Jun-July, sow outdoors in rows 15mm deep and cover with fine soil. Once germinated, thin out the seedlings to 25cm apart. Once the bulbs start to swell, mound up earth around them to exclude light, keeping them white. This will also protect them from Autumn frosts.
Aftercare
Keep weed free. Plants should be kept consistently watered or add mulch to retain moisture. Harvest bulbs as and when required and use within a few days, as bulbs lose their flavour quickly.
Gallery
Ref. SEF005