Sowing Florence Fennel

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When to sow

Indoors in March or April at a minimum of 15˚C
Outdoors when tempertures rise above 15˚C and no chance of frost so from mid May till July

How to sow Florence Fennel

Fennel grows best during warm summers and needs an open, sunny site. Prepare a seedbed in fertile, well-drained soil, adding plenty of well-rotted organic matter the winter before planting. Fennel thrives on warm, moist, fertile, sandy soils.

Fennel dislikes root disturbance. Sow in cooler climates or, for early crops, better to sow in modules as single seedlings to avoid root damage. Plant out modules as soon as possible once the roots fill container from April, ‘harden off’, then plant out once the soil is warm and there is no danger of frost, from early May onwards. Early sowings are very liable to flower prematurely (bolt); there are bolt-resistant cultivars.

Alternatively, sow directly into the soil, 1.5mm (1/2in) deep in rows 30cm (12in) apart, thinning to 30cm (12in) apart in the rows when the soil is warm from May to early July. Use bolt-resistant cultivars from mid-June to mid-July sowings.

Category: Recipes

One-Pot Roast Pork Chops with Fennel & Potatoes

Super easy and super tasty dish!

Irish Stew with Parsnips

Irish Stew with Parsnips
The Parsnips are by no means traditional in this recipe and are optional but my wife loves them so what you going to do?

Classic Rhubarb Crumble

Classic Rhubarb Crumble
Growing up this was my favourite dessert & seeing as only my dad and I liked it I always had a massive portion!

Category: The Growing Season

Jobs to do in March

Spring is starting and the new season is here

Hopefully by now we are now standing on the threshold of Spring and the new gardening season. The days are beginning to lengthen and although it may not feel like it at times the temperatures are slowly increasing day by day. More importantly the longer days are the real trigger to new growth and you will find that with the help of a little protection you can really go for those early sowings

Jobs to do in January

Jobs to do on the Allotment in January
January is generally a very cold month with hard frosts freezing the ground and when the ground isn't frozen it is generally too wet to do much although there are no guarantees with British weather. Looking through my diaries, snow isn't that likely for a prolonged period but you never know.

Jobs to do in February

Time to do some groundwork

We get a glimpse of the early signs of the arrival of Spring this month. The soil begins to warm up around the middle of February and we can see for the first time this year the buds beginning to swell on fruit trees and bushes. Overwintering vegetables begin to look less sorry for themselves and they start to produce new growth.

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