Finocchio (Italian Fennel)

Finocchio from the Macchione family of Falerna, Calabria, Italy. The wildly abundant seeds are harvested green and then dried for adding to soppressata (salami), soup, stew, spaghetti sauce, meatloaf - "you can use it anywhere you wish - it's good for anything" according to Fenice Macchione. The seeds are also great for making a stomach calming tea. 

For eating, harvest the seeds when they are plump and green but before they turn dark and dry on the plant. Clip seed clusters about an inch below the umbel, and allow them to finish drying indoors. When fully dry, rub the clusters between your hand to remove the seeds. 

This is a bushy, leafy perennial that can grow 7 feet tall when flowering. 

This seed is part of the Italian Garden Project’s Italian American Collection. Read about our shared work HERE. Shop for more varieties in this special collection HERE.

This collection represents seeds from the most cherished vegetables of Italian immigrants, those flavors that just couldn't be left behind. Only the best of the best would have been deemed worthy of the passage from the Old World to the New. These are seeds which have been passed down through families for generations, saved from the most vigorous specimens hand-selected each season. When they arrived in America, they were lovingly propagated in backyard gardens and traded as valuable commodities within Italian communities.

Heirloom seeds such as these which have been nurtured over hundreds of years and traveled across continents are at risk of being lost and their histories forgotten. In order to safeguard these treasures, The Italian Garden Project has been seeking out these heirlooms from across the US and serving as their caretaker. And now our partnership with Truelove Seeds and their growers ensures that these unique varieties will continue to flourish and provide the authentic flavors of the past well into the future.

Days to maturity: 90-120 days

Seeds per pack: 175-200 

Germination rate: 50% (total viability: 87%) on 1/15/2025 (read more about viability)

Planting / harvesting notes

You can sow fennel indoors 4-6 weeks before your last frost and then transplant into the garden, though it prefers to be direct sown. When soils have warmed to at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit, direct sow seeds 4-5 inches apart in rows spaced 12-18" apart. Thin to 8-12" apart. 

Seed keeping notes

Isolate different fennel varieties from each other by 1/2 a mile to prevent unwanted hybridization. For seed harvest, clip seed clusters when they have started darkening towards dry (after the plump green phase). They can continue drying indoors if you are in a wet climate. (like us). 

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