How do you get bulb fennel to bulb

Question

How do you get bulb fennel to bulb? Could you plant it in pots? I live in North Idaho. I tried to grow bulb fennel once before and it didn’t bulb. Was it too dry? Could I plant it in pots in a huge metal pan with water in it or a small pond? Should I plant it in the sun or part shade? I would really like to be successful. I am a Biodynamic gardener and belong to a club. We make our own compost preparations and field sprays out of herbs and cow manure. I have plenty of flats and 4″ pots to start the seeds and not disturb the roots. I have greenhouse cold frames and French intensive beds. It gets dry here in July/August, but the weather has been unusual the last two years with more rain in the summer. This winter was cold and then warm. Spring came and then we had a cold spell. I’m not sure what zone we live in now. We live at 2,800 ft. with south sloping land.

Answer 1

Bulb fennel will not tolerate dry conditions – dry soil will spur it flower prematurely at the expense of bulbing.

This extension article (under the section ‘how to grow’) will tell you exactly what to do to give your fennel the best shot at bulbing:
https://bit.ly/1J8iiUH

For more information on growing fennel in the garden, please visit the following link:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/fennel-vegetables/growing-florence-fennel.htm