You can eat everything from the stems to the seeds, and they’re good for you, so there’s nothing to throw away. Grow lots of them and live long lives!
Misha: This time we’re going to grow fennel. In China it’s called 蕴香, and in Japan it’s called 便教. The part at the base of the stem, which is mainly used as a food ingredient, is called finocchio.
Hachibee: Are you talking about the doll with the big nose that your grandfather made?
Misha: That’s Pinocchio. This time we’re going to grow finocchio. It’s just that the name is Italian. The leaves are a herb and aromatic vegetable. The stems are a vegetable known as finocchio. And the fruit is a spice known as fennel seeds, so there’s no part of it that goes to waste.
Hachibee: That’s amazing! I wonder what it tastes like. I’m looking forward to it!
Fennel “Almost Weekly” Cultivation Report
10/1 Planting
Hachibee: Oh! These are fennel seeds. They’re often sold as an herb.
Misha: To be precise, this is a “fruit”. There are even smaller seeds inside this, but you can just sow them as normal seeds.
10/8 Sprouted!
Hachibee: The leaves are already coming out!
10/15 Leaves appear
Hachibee: I thought it would grow rapidly, but it hasn’t.
10/22 More leaves
Hachibee: The leaves are starting to look like sparklers!
Meesha: This delicate shape is what makes fennel leaves so special. They can be eaten raw as a herb.
10/29 More leaves
Hachibee: There are an incredible number of leaves when they emerge from between the plants.
11/5 The leaves grow large
Misha: These lush leaves will grow even more vigorously as the weather starts to get colder.
11/12 The stock begins to swell
Hachibee: It’s starting to puff up!
11/19 The leaves begin to grow
Hachibee: Wow, that’s an incredible amount of leaves! It’s starting to look like a deck brush!
11/26 Leaf stalks begin to emerge one after another from the center of the plant.
Misha: It’s quite an unusual way for leaves to suddenly appear in a cluster from the base of the plant.
12/3 Large leaves and thick stems
Hachibee: Leaves and stems are coming out one after another! What incredible power! It’s like a volcanic eruption!
12/10 The leaves grow even more
Hachibee: This is amazing.
12/17 The stock price will increase further.
Hachibee: It seems that the stems and leaves are born in the middle of the plant and then the plant spreads out on both sides.
Misha: As the plant grows, the stems and leaves seem to get bigger.
12/24 Leaves appear one after another between the plants
Hachibee: Don’t forcefully push aside the stems on either side to come out.
12/31 As soon as the stems emerge, the leaves will start to grow – harvest!
Misha: The finocchio parts at the base of the plant are starting to plump up, so let’s harvest them around here.
Hachibee: What an amazing shape! It looks just like the Mandragora, a plant from the Demon Realm!
Misha: Fennel doesn’t scream when you pull it out of the ground. Now, what happens if you pull the stem growing from the base of the plant side to side?
Misha: It peels off easily and crisply like this. You can cut off the spoon-shaped part and add it to a salad or soup.
Hachibee: It has a crunch similar to celery, but it smells so good. It’s definitely a herb. I’m sure you’ll get addicted to this!
3/24 Lush leaves
Misha: Now, let’s give you a little summary, from flowering to harvesting fennel seeds.
Hachibee: You’re suddenly a time traveller. Oh! It’s been a while since I last saw you, and now the leaves are lush and thick, like an afro!
4/14 The stems become larger and thicker
Hachibei: Time travel for another month. Wow, this time the stem is much bigger! It looks like a big crab.
5/19 Buds appear
Hachibee: Another month. What is this cracker or firework-shaped thing?
Misha: Fennel buds. They have lots of flower stalks that produce lots of little buds.
6/23 Bloom
Hachibee: They bloomed all at once! They bloomed all at once! It’s like fireworks really exploded! They’re so vibrant!
Misha: They are colorful and have very intricate designs.
7/7 Seeds begin to form
Hachibee: The fennel flowers have been blooming all month. The base of the flower is swelling little by little, and starting to turn into a rice-like bud!
7/14 Seed Harvesting
Hachibee: Within a week of the seeds starting to form, they have matured rapidly. Still, that’s an incredible amount of fennel seeds! It makes me so happy.
Meesha: Yes! This shape looks very familiar, doesn’t it? Fennel seeds. They are often sold in jars in the spice section of supermarkets. And there you have it: a useful seed that can be used as an herb!
~A word! Tips on growing fennel~
Difficulty of cultivation：★★☆☆☆
Bundles of leaves emerge one after another from the center of the plant
Its growth process is quite unique
It is robust, cold-resistant and easy to grow
However, it has a taproot and is weak when transplanted
It is best to grow it slowly in the ground
The stems grow for about three months after planting the seeds
The seeds can be harvested in about nine months
