Florence Fennel 'Zefa Fino' Seeds (AGM)

Overview

Florence Fennel 'Zefa Fino' is a quick maturing fennel that produces very uniform bulbs of excellent quality. The bulbs are white of medium to large size and slightly flattened round shape.

They have a lovely aniseed flavour, and the foliage can also be used as a garnish (harvest a few fronds whilst the bulbs are growing to add flavour to salads & dressings). They also look stunning in the veg patch with their white bulbs and feathery green stems and leave a couple to flower as the insects love them.

It is easy to grow and is virtually pest & disease free and is resistant to bolting and matures quickly 70-80 days from sowing. Take care when using fennel as its flavour can be overpowering, but complements fish dishes really well or can be served raw in salads for an aniseed hit.

Fennel bulbs can also harvested as baby-veg and is a useful catch crop that fits into any bed on your crop rotation plan.

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Seed qty (approx)	125
Sowing months	March, April, May
Site conditions	Sunny/well-drained soil, moisture retentive soil.
How to sow	Sow direct late April to July in a drill 1cm deep and rows 40-45cm apart. Thin seedlings to 10-15cm apart (for baby veg) or 20-25cm apart for larger heads. Can also be station sown with a pinch of seeds 1cm deep every 20-25cm and thin out weakest seedlings. For a continuous supply sow every 2 weeks. Fennel resents root disturbance and although it can be sown undercover from April to July in modules, it must be transplanted before 2 pairs of leaves have formed (before the bulb has started to grow) and planted out after last frosts as cold & also drought will cause it to bolt. It is easier to direct sow.
Care	Mound up the soil around the bulb as it grows until the bulb is mature from mid-summer to mid-autumn. Keep watered but not too much.
Harvest	July to September when the bulb is about 7-10cm across. Cut stems just above the base and it may send up some smaller bulbs as a second crop.
Information	RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), Organic Seed

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