Growing from seeds and caring for fennel in the open field, how to save for the winter and varieties
Once this culture was known by chefs, healers and ordinary people. Myths, beliefs, prejudices are associated with it: the inhabitants of Hellas, according to legend, were given fire to people in a hollow fennel stem. It is often confused with dill, but these are different plants. You can learn about fennel, proper cultivation and care of seedlings in the open field by reading this material.
Content
Description of the crop and common varieties
Fennel belongs to the umbrella group, it can be one-, two- and perennial. In its natural state it grows on the African continent, Europe, America (North and South), Asia. In the Russian Federation, fennel is found in the Krasnodar Territory, the steppe regions of the Caucasus.
Prefers poor, dry soils, and often grows along roadsides. The fruits and leaves contain essential oils with a characteristic odor and sweet taste. There are 2 main types of fennel:
- Usual.
- Vegetable.
The former is grown for foliage and seeds, while the vegetable varieties (cabbage and Italian) produce fleshy petioles and stems. Ordinary fennel is also called “pharmaceutical dill” or sweet. It grows to a height of up to 2 meters, and is a frequent visitor to vegetable gardens and personal plots. The stem is straight, with an implicit ribbed structure.
Several umbrellas (from 10 to 20) crown the top of the plant, each of them will have up to 25 bright yellow small inflorescences. Fennel is familiar to beekeepers and is well suited for feeding bees.
The vegetable variety has a highly branched stem. In the places where the leaves are attached (petioles), fleshy heads of cabbage grow. There are 7 types of vegetable fennel in total: Aroma, Luzhnikovsky Semko, Udalets, Corvette, Soprano, Leader, Autumn handsome. A hybrid is also known - a mid-season plant of the head variety Rudi F1. Oilseeds Chernivtsky, Krymsky (Russian selection) and Sicilian, Italian large (foreign) also grow well in Russia.
Fennel value
Fennel is used for many purposes: as a food additive, in cosmetics, for medical reasons, and as a preventive measure. In some cases, it cannot be replaced with anything else: this is the uniqueness of the plant.
In nutrition
Fennel oil and seeds are known as a common flavoring. The greens are sweetish, with a refreshing pleasant taste. In the culinary business it is used raw - in desserts and salads, stewed with other vegetables. Bread is baked with fennel fruits, it is used in canning and salting homemade products. Caucasian peoples love to add greens to their colorful national dishes. Perfumers add fragrant oil to cosmetics, a by-product of pressing the fruit is used as a lubricant in technology.
Important. Despite the external similarity with dill (umbrella flowering, spicy smell), fennel is a separate species, with its own characteristic features.
In medicine
As a medicine, fennel was used in antiquity - Hippocrates, Pliny and Avicenna recommended it to patients for:
- expectoration;
- eye treatments;
- flushing the kidneys (diuretic).
The main effect is achieved by using the fruit or oil squeezed from them. Bath attendants are familiar with the method of knitting brooms using the branches and foliage of the plant.
A cough elixir is prepared on the basis of fennel essential oils, the fruits have a laxative, wind and choleretic, as well as a sedative effect. Of these, drug pharmacy fees are made up. Moms know how to give dill water to children with bloating in the intestines, especially infants. It is also made from fennel seeds.
The beneficial effect of herbal infusions on the excitable nervous system is well known: they improve sleep, increase stress resistance. The external effect of the broth is to relieve inflammation in acne, dermatitis, furunculosis. Cardiologists recommend fennel treatment for poor blood circulation, vascular problems.
Selecting a site for growing fennel
In growing, seemingly unpretentious grass is not so simple: fennel needs moisture and light to grow fully. The soil is plowed before planting and systematically enriched with complex mineral fertilizers. The plot in the country does not have to be large, but certainly well lit.
Best predecessors
The main rule for planting fennel is that it does not get along well with its "neighbors": it is better to plant it separately from other plants. Releasing long and thin roots in all directions, the "quiet" is able to pump moisture from the adjacent territory.
If spinach, beans, cumin or pepper are nearby, they will have a depressing effect on fennel, preventing it from developing. For growing crops, the best options for the previous "tenants" are considered to be potatoes, cabbage, cucumbers and peas - the fertilizers with which they are fed are well absorbed by the umbrella plant.
Lighting requirements
Fennel is susceptible to light conditions. This means that areas for planting seeds or seedlings should be sunny, open during the day. Any crops that are planted in the neighborhood and create shade (corn, sunflower) will interfere with the growth of the plant. But when growing a vegetable species, excess light can damage: an extended daylight hours does not allow the heads of cabbage to be tied normally.
Important. Tall, shade fennel bushes plants are excluded in the neighborhood. It is better to plant them separately, in a different place.
Soil for planting
In terms of the choice of soil for growing, garden fennel is quite finicky: it will not grow in abandoned places, poor soils and somehow cultivated areas.
- Suitable: well-fertilized, dense, slightly alkaline earth.
- Not suitable: light, poorly plowed, poor soil.
Growing outdoors from seeds
Fennel is grown from seeds that remain viable for 3 years. Experienced gardeners recommend preparing them before planting to increase the likelihood of a favorable outcome.
Soil preparation
Before sowing, the future planting site for fennel is dug to a depth of 25 centimeters or more (shovel bayonet).If before that something grew on the site, then digging is carried out immediately after harvesting. For depleted soils, fertilizing with mineral organic fertilizers is allowed. In the spring, before planting, the site is dug again, half the depth.
Then loosening and leveling is performed. Sometimes it is advised to apply fertilizer under the previously planted crop, so it is better absorbed. Additional fertilizing may be required before sowing seeds. Usually the following composition is used: ammonium nitrate, potassium salts and superphosphate in a ratio of 3: 1: 2.
Important. It is useful to mix vegetable fennel (seeds) with granular superphosphate fertilizer, this will increase the germination of seedlings.
Seed preparation
To do this, the entire seed stock must be laid out on a flat surface covered with a clean light cloth. Matter should not be synthetic - this is important. Next, a special, growth-stimulating solution is prepared (a weakly concentrated potassium permanganate is also suitable) and seeds wrapped in a fabric envelope are immersed in it. They should be evenly wetted, in no case float on the surface. It is kept for 4 hours, then taken out and dried.
Sowing seeds in spring
April is most suitable for garden planting, sometimes it is allowed to sow in winter (in September). Early planting means protecting seedlings from bad weather and cold snaps. Vegetable varieties are best planted in the ground in the third decade of June, otherwise the heads of cabbage will form poorly.
Planting depth for all types of seeds is 2-3 centimeters. For spring sowing, liming is recommended, adding humus, compost or rotted sawdust. Covering the dug and loosened beds with a film will retain moisture inside it.The step of the beds is chosen equal to half a meter. The first shoots hatch 5-6 days after planting, but this is if the average daily temperature does not drop below +6 ° C. After 7-10 days, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving 20-25 centimeters between them.
Winter sowing
For a full-fledged planting in winter, fennel turns out to be too pampered by the heat, but, subject to certain conditions, sowing in the fall is allowed. To do this, the plants or seeds left for 2 years will have to be well sheltered from the weather, to ensure their protection. Winter sowing is not fertilized, using the remains of mineral fertilizers in the soil after previous crops. Digging and loosening of the site is required before planting seeds.
The entire upper part is cut off from the plants left for the winter, then they are covered with mulch, peat, and covered with sawdust. As soon as the snow falls, the beds are additionally covered with a layer of several centimeters. Experienced gardeners argue that the likelihood of a successful transfer of fennel to the Russian winter is low: it is better to play it safe and plant it in a greenhouse, in which the seedlings will also then have to be covered with peat or leaves.
Features of growing through seedlings
The method justifies itself well when breeding vegetable species: in this case, you do not need to worry about the normal development of root crops, which often happens when planting with seeds. This method is also suitable for a short summer in Central Russia and the northern regions.
Planting is carried out in several stages: first, in late February-early March, the seeds are sown in seedling boxes. The appearance of the first shoots signals the need for a pick: they are carefully separated and transferred to separate flowerpots. It is allowed to replace the procedure with thinning (with a step of 20 centimeters between adjacent shoots). After about 30 days, the final stage is carried out - fennel bushes are planted in open ground, on a garden bed, observing a distance between them of at least 40 centimeters.
The specifics of growing at home
Green fragrant "whims" are grown at home, on the windowsill. In conditions of a constant positive temperature, it is easier to provide him with a comfortable environment.You will need: flower pots or containers, boxes for seedlings up to 30 centimeters high and no more than 25 centimeters wide. The bottom is covered with a thin drainage layer: small stones can act in its role. It is known from experience that well-fertilized soils with little clay inclusions are suitable for fennel. It is better not to risk with acidity, the required level is pH 7.
Important. In ready-made soil mixtures for flowers (Terravita), the required parameters of acidity and mineral content are maintained. If you add a little clay to it, you get a balanced composition for the grown fennel.
Ready-made peat containers, which can be bought at garden stores, are well suited for planting seeds. Soil is poured there and 2-3 seeds are slightly buried (taking into account future thinning). After planting, the crop is harvested in a warm (but not hot) place.
Fennel is a light-loving crop, but at the initial stage of growth, the seeds need darkness. In the open field, the sprouts emerge in 2-3 weeks, the temperature of +6 ° C is enough for them. When delicate roots are injured during transplantation, the stem and umbrellas grow, but the heads of cabbage are poorly tied (this is important for vegetable varieties).
When grown "on green", it is enough to wait until the shoots rise by 25-30 centimeters, and you can harvest. For the "roots", a bulky container is required, because heads of cabbage grow up to 10 centimeters in girth (the upper, aerial part rises up to 50 centimeters). The vegetative period in this case is up to 90 days.
Plant care rules
Fennel makes increased demands on the composition and structure of the soil, light and moisture, but does not require special care when growing. It will be sufficient to fulfill a few simple requirements of agricultural technology.
- Firstly, weeding from weed neighbors is required - they will interfere with the development of seedlings.
- Secondly, replenishment with minerals and nutrients. The first time fertilizers are applied after thinning - fresh manure (mullein) is suitable for this.
When applied to the soil, the manure solution is prepared in a ratio of 1: 3 (part of humus to 3 parts of water). To care for the plant, water the beds, the finished composition should be even thinner - 1:10. The seedlings are also fed with chicken droppings, but this is done carefully, trying not to burn the stems and diluting the fertilizer in a ratio of 1:50.
Parasites and protection against them
In the garden, in addition to cultivated useful crops, dangerous "neighbors" - insect pests can start. These are kravchik beetles and May beetles, destroying fresh greens. The larvae of swallowtail butterflies, carrots, and umbrella moths love to feast on fennel. It does not do without the ubiquitous aphids, bedbugs (umbrella, minke).
For prophylaxis, trapping grooves break through around the area with the planted plant, the use of pesticides is unacceptable: they all turn into green tops. It is better to use one of the reliable folk methods: spray the plant with a decoction of mustard, nettle or garlic - they repel pests well. Wood ash infused with water is also suitable. Fennel has diseases: cercosporosis, which affects seeds, as well as phomosis, septoria and spotting.
Important. The treatment of fennel with Bordeaux liquid (a mixture of lime with copper sulfate in water) has proven itself well. Such a composition helps to get rid of diseases and insects quickly, without any consequences for the plant.
Watering and loosening the soil
Fennel is very fond of water, its thin and long roots are able to stretch far to the sides and "steal" moisture from neighbors (if the plant itself does not have enough of it). It is recommended to water seedlings and adult bushes at least once a week (10-15 liters per square meter of area). Watering does not depend on the season - in the fall, if the weather is dry and calm, it is also carried out.
Hilling
The fennel planted in the soil is necessarily spudded: this improves the growth of the root part, which is especially important for vegetable varieties grown for the sake of heads. The procedure is carried out 2-3 times throughout the season, raking up the soil with a layer of up to 7 centimeters. Sometimes experienced gardeners, before hilling, put a plastic case from a PET bottle on the plant - this way the greens get dirty less.
Fennel feeding
For this culture, fertilization is mandatory, it is applied with its predecessors (it's even better), or in the spring, almost immediately after planting the plant in the ground. Mineral complexes are used, as well as components of natural origin - cow and chicken manure, diluted to the desired concentration.
Mulching
A simple but effective method allows you to provide seedlings with moisture, keeping it in the soil. As a layer of mulch, use sawdust, straw, foliage - any material at hand. The layer should not be less than 50 millimeters, it is renewed as needed (checking the moisture content of the soil).
Shelter for the winter
Fennel, left to winter (for season 2), must be properly prepared: cut off the entire upper part, sprinkle with frost protection. For these purposes, straw remaining after processing wheat, peat, small branches, leaves are suitable. Sometimes it is advised to leave about 40 centimeters of the stem with shoots for better snow retention.
The layer covering the underground part must be thick enough to prevent freezing. Specific parameters depend on the climatic zone: the colder the winter, the more thoroughly the plants remaining in the soil are protected. After the snow falls, the beds are additionally covered with it.
Disease and pest control methods
Fragrant fresh greenery attracts the attention of bugs that live in abundance in gardens and vegetable gardens, caterpillars, bedbugs.
Several techniques are most effective:
- To scare off aphids, thrips, bedbugs, caterpillars, spraying with a solution of green soap is used: for this, 200-400 grams are diluted in water (10 liters). Bordeaux mixture (lime with copper sulfate) is also good.
- Bugs - May and Kravchik, are neutralized by trapping grooves, which are pulled out around the planting of fennel.
- Treatment of seeds before planting in a weak solution of potassium permanganate not only increases their germination, but also destroys disease spores. In addition, the garden is watered with the same composition before planting fennel.
- So that already infected (old) plants do not transmit the disease further along the chain, they maintain the distance between the rows, carefully destroy damaged specimens, isolating them from healthy ones.
How to harvest correctly
Collecting greens begins when the foliage (umbrella shoots) reaches a length of 30 centimeters. This can be done all summer long by carefully cutting off fresh fragrant stems. Heads of cabbage from vegetable crops can be dug up when they grow to a size of 8-10 centimeters. This happens in the fall, in August-September. To ripen the seeds, fennel is left for the next year, allowing it to overwinter. In order to prevent ripened fruits from spontaneously sowing, they are advised to wrap them with a thin gauze cloth.
Storing fennel
Experienced gardeners say that preparing fennel for the winter is to preserve useful vitamins until the next season, to provide yourself with a supply of medicinal substances and a natural pharmacy.
Greens are dried, salted, the same applies to seeds. Root vegetables are stored like regular vegetables - in a cool, dark place. They are salted, pickled, used in home preservation.
