Florence fennel · New York City, New York, United States

When to plant florence fennel in New York City

Main outdoor window

12 Apr - 3 May

The window this page is built around.

Timed from last spring frost

29 March

In New York City, on your chosen risk.

Ready to pick

1 Aug - 30 Nov

If you plant at the start of the window.

The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.

Cautious Balanced Bold

Step by step in New York City

Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.

Sow direct

12 Apr - 3 May

Two weeks after your last frost.

Harvest

1 Aug - 30 Nov

Sow in succession. A single sowing gives you a single glut. Sow a short row every 21 days through the window above and you get a steady supply instead.

Frost tolerance

Half-hardy

Damaged below

-4°C (24.8°F)

Days to maturity

80–100

Min soil temp

10°C (50°F)

Spacing

30 cm

Sowing depth

10 mm (0.4 in)

Sun

Full

Florence fennel through the year

Against the frost risk in New York City

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Florence fennel

Frost risk Sow direct Harvest Today

Why these dates

Sow after midsummer rather than in spring, roughly two weeks after the last frost at the earliest. Shortening days are what make it bulb up instead of run to seed.

Takes about -4C. A cold snap after sowing is itself enough of a check to trigger bolting, which is another argument for the later sowing.

Seed packets and extension guides express timing as weeks either side of the last spring frost, because that is the only reference point that travels. Florence fennel are timed for direct sowing 2 weeks after it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for New York City.

The median frost-free season here is 249 days, against 80 to 100 days to maturity for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.

See every crop timed for New York City →

Nearby

Florence fennel in places close by

Jersey City 6 km Manhattan 8 km Brooklyn 9 km Newark 14 km Queens 15 km The Bronx 19 km

Also in New York City

Other vegetables to time

Tomatoes tender Lettuce half hardy Potatoes half hardy Courgettes tender Sweet peppers tender Carrots hardy Cucumbers tender Green beans tender Peas hardy Garlic very hardy Chilli peppers tender Sweetcorn tender

Growing florence fennel in New York City

When should I plant florence fennel in New York City?

Aim for 12 Apr - 3 May in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 22 Apr - 13 May - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.

When will florence fennel be ready to harvest in New York City?

Expect to start picking around 1 Aug - 30 Nov, based on 80 to 100 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.

How much frost will florence fennel tolerate?

Takes about -4C. A cold snap after sowing is itself enough of a check to trigger bolting, which is another argument for the later sowing.