Fennel · Moscow, Moscow, Russia

When to plant fennel in Moscow

Main outdoor window

18 Apr - 9 May

The window this page is built around.

Timed from last spring frost

2 May

In Moscow, on your chosen risk.

Ready to pick

1 Jun - 31 Oct

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 Moscow

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

18 Apr - 9 May

Two weeks before your last frost.

Harvest

1 Jun - 31 Oct

Frost tolerance

Hardy

Damaged below

-12°C (10.4°F)

First crop

Year 1

Hardy to

Zone 4a–9a

Min soil temp

10°C (50°F)

Spacing

45 cm

Sowing depth

5 mm (0.2 in)

Sun

Full

Fennel through the year

Against the frost risk in Moscow

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Fennel

Frost risk Sow direct Harvest Today

Why these dates

Sow direct around the last frost. Keep well away from dill - the two cross readily and the resulting seedlings taste of neither.

The crown is hardy to about -12C and regrows each spring from the root.

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. Fennel are timed for direct sowing 2 weeks before it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Moscow.

Hardiness is not the obstacle here. Moscow is zone 4b, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.

Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 1, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.

See every crop timed for Moscow →

Also in Moscow

Other herbs to time

Basil tender Coriander half hardy Parsley hardy Rosemary hardy Lavender hardy Mint very hardy Chives very hardy Lemongrass tender Sage very hardy Dill half hardy Thyme hardy Wild garlic very hardy

Growing fennel in Moscow

When should I plant fennel in Moscow?

Aim for 18 Apr - 9 May in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 4-25 May - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.

When will fennel be ready to harvest in Moscow?

Expect to start picking around 1 Jun - 31 Oct, based on 90 to 120 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.

How much frost will fennel tolerate?

The crown is hardy to about -12C and regrows each spring from the root.