Climate That Fennel is Grown

Climate Zones

• Climate is categorized into 11 zones based on the lowest temperatures typically encountered during the winter season. According to the National Gardening Association, fennel can be grown in climate zones five through 10. Zone five areas generally have low winter temperatures between -20 degrees and -10 degrees Fahrenheit (-28.8 degrees to -23.4 degrees Celsius). Zone 10 areas have lows of 30 degrees to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (-1.1 degrees to 4.4 degrees Celsius).

Fennel's Natural Climate

• Fennel is indigenous to southern Europe, along the northern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The climate in this region is warm and temperate (displaying a relatively moderate temperature change between summer and winter). Designated as zones nine and eight, these regions are rarely lower than 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fennel Optimum Soil/Climate

• For fennel to flourish it needs to grow in soil with proper drainage (fennel likes drier soil) such as the kind found in the Mediterranean and Middle East. The soil should also be semi-fertile; planting fennel in nutrient rich soil will cause the plant to lose much of its aroma and taste. The majority of fennel seeds imported into the United States are grown in Egypt, whose arid climate produces a rich harvest of fennel.

Fennel's Common Uses

• Fennel seeds are often used as a spice and added to breads, sausages, sweet pickles and various other foods that utilize herbs. Fennel was considered to have medicinal uses by the ancients and was considered one of the nine sacred herbs by the Anglo-Saxons. The ancient Greeks called the plant "marathon" (to growth thin) and used it as a health and weight loss supplement, as did the Romans who came after them. Fennel is still commonly used as a holistic weight control method.