When to plant fennel (bulb)

Half-hardy · light frost OK

Fennel (Bulb)is keyed to your local frost dates. The offsets below hold anywhere — but the calendar dates they land on don’t. Enter your ZIP for dates tuned to your city’s nearest NOAA station.

Fennel (Bulb) planting timeline

Start indoors

4–6 wks before

Transplant out

0–2 wks before

Direct sow

2 before–2 after

Harvest

65–90 days later

-7 wksLAST SPRING FROST+12 wks

Half-hardy: tolerates a light frost but not a hard freeze — plant out around the last frost date.

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Fennel (Bulb) planting FAQ

When should I start fennel (bulb) seeds indoors?

Start fennel (bulb) indoors 4–6 weeks before the last spring frost, so seedlings are ready to plant out once the weather warms.

Can I direct sow fennel (bulb)?

Yes — you can sow fennel (bulb) directly outdoors 2 weeks before to 2 weeks after the last spring frost.

How long does fennel (bulb) take to grow?

Fennel (Bulb) takes about 65–90 days from transplanting to harvest, depending on the variety and conditions.

Can I plant fennel (bulb) in the fall?

Yes — sow fennel (bulb) for a fall crop 8–10 weeks before the first fall frost.

Is fennel (bulb) frost-hardy?

Half-hardy: tolerates a light frost but not a hard freeze — plant out around the last frost date.

Planting reminders

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Planting windows are offsets from your local 1991–2020 NOAA frost normals. How we compute this.