FENNEL

Characteristics: Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum (treated as the sole species in the genus by most botanists). It is a member of the family Apiaceae.
It is a highly aromatic and flavorful herb with culinary and medicinal uses, and is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe. Florence fennel or finocchio is a selection with a swollen, bulb-like stem base that is used as a vegetable.
It is erect, glaucous green, and grows to heights of up to 2.5 m, with hollow stems. The leaves grow up to 40 cm long. they are finely dissected, with the ultimate segments filiform (threadlike), about 0.5 mm wide. (Its leaves are similar to those of dill, but thinner.) The flowers are produced in terminal compound umbels 5–15 cm wide, each umbel section having 20–50 tiny yellow flowers on short pedicels. The fruit is a dry seed from 4–10 mm long, half as wide or less, and grooved.
Specific cares: Cool weather is best for growing fennel. Seeds germinate best at soil temperatures of 61 to 64 F. The plant has a tendency to bolt (flower prematurely) in warm summer weather. When you are growing fennel for the bulb, select a variety that will grow for a long time before bolting in order to produce better-developed bulbs. Fennel prefers frequent irrigation for rapid growth. Moisture stress causes the basal stalk to split. Fennel plants are believed to release a chemical that impairs the growth of some other plants, so it should not be grown very close to beans, tomatoes or members of the cabbage family.
Plagues: Fennel competes poorly with weeds. Aphids can cause severe damage so as soon as there is signs of aphids
Measures: Use a garlic spray to disperse them.
Price:2 TL (1 €)
Date of plantation and harvesting: April-June- July