Safe to Plant

Florence fennel · Newark, New Jersey, United States

When to plant florence fennel in Newark

Main outdoor window

26 Apr - 17 May

The window this page is built around.

Timed from last spring frost

12 April

In Newark, 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.

Step by step in Newark

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

26 Apr - 17 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 Newark

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 Newark.

The median frost-free season here is 209 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 Newark →

Nearby

Florence fennel in places close by

Jersey City 8 km New York City 14 km Manhattan 18 km Staten Island 19 km Brooklyn 21 km The Bronx 29 km

Also in Newark

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 Newark

When should I plant florence fennel in Newark?

Aim for 26 Apr - 17 May in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 5-26 May - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.

When will florence fennel be ready to harvest in Newark?

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.