This year I decided to try growing some fennel in my garden.
Unbeknownst to me, however, fennel apparently inhibits the growth of
tomatoes -- at least this is what I have been told. Can anyone testify
personally to this? Should I also uproot the fennel once it's big
enough? I have it growing on both ends of my garden, right next to my
Brandywine and Caspian Pink plants. Alternately, is there a "safe"
distance away from my tomatoes where I can transplant the fennel? I'm
also curious if anyone knows how the inhibitive fennel effect works --
via the roots, flowers, fully grown plants, whatever.

Much obliged to all for any shared advice.

Drew (rhymes with Grew)

In article ,
andy candy wrote:

This year I decided to try growing some fennel in my garden.
Unbeknownst to me, however, fennel apparently inhibits the growth of
tomatoes -- at least this is what I have been told. Can anyone testify
personally to this? Should I also uproot the fennel once it's big
enough? I have it growing on both ends of my garden, right next to my
Brandywine and Caspian Pink plants. Alternately, is there a "safe"
distance away from my tomatoes where I can transplant the fennel? I'm
also curious if anyone knows how the inhibitive fennel effect works --
via the roots, flowers, fully grown plants, whatever.

Much obliged to all for any shared advice.

Drew (rhymes with Grew)

The book I use, ""How to Grow More Vegetables" by John Jeavons
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/...=search-alias%
3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=How+to+Grow+More+Vegetables&x=0&y=0
says to plant fennel away from the garden as most plants dislike it.
--

- Billy
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being
is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the
moment of conception until death." - Rachel Carson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En2TzBE0lp4

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050688.html

I had a bed just for my fennel at the end of the flower garden near my
roses, other side of the house from my veggie garden. I did that because my
grandmother said I should. I didn't question Grandma. I later read in a
Rodale companion planting book that fennel could stunt, kill or make bolt
most plants in the vegetable garden. It will stunt tomatoes and if there's
enough fennel planted near them it will kill tomatoes, or so my book said.
Don't plant it close enough to dill to cross pollinate or the dill won't
have a good flavor. I did notice that lady bugs were always around the
fennel, especially after watering, might be why grandma planted it close to
her roses. It is a known attractant to beneficial insects.

Do some Googling and look up "allelopathy". You'll then find out why fennel
does what it does to other plants.

Val


"andy candy" wrote in message
...
This year I decided to try growing some fennel in my garden.
Unbeknownst to me, however, fennel apparently inhibits the growth of
tomatoes -- at least this is what I have been told. Can anyone testify
personally to this? Should I also uproot the fennel once it's big
enough? I have it growing on both ends of my garden, right next to my
Brandywine and Caspian Pink plants. Alternately, is there a "safe"
distance away from my tomatoes where I can transplant the fennel? I'm
also curious if anyone knows how the inhibitive fennel effect works --
via the roots, flowers, fully grown plants, whatever.

Much obliged to all for any shared advice.

Drew (rhymes with Grew)

In article ,
"Val" wrote:

I had a bed just for my fennel at the end of the flower garden near my
roses, other side of the house from my veggie garden. I did that because my
grandmother said I should. I didn't question Grandma. I later read in a
Rodale companion planting book that fennel could stunt, kill or make bolt
most plants in the vegetable garden. It will stunt tomatoes and if there's
enough fennel planted near them it will kill tomatoes, or so my book said.
Don't plant it close enough to dill to cross pollinate or the dill won't
have a good flavor. I did notice that lady bugs were always around the
fennel, especially after watering, might be why grandma planted it close to
her roses. It is a known attractant to beneficial insects.

Do some Googling and look up "allelopathy". You'll then find out why fennel
does what it does to other plants.

Val

New word for me but companion planting sort of touches on this in
reverse. Thank You !

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allelopathy

We have touched on "The black walnut (Juglans nigra) produces the
allelochemical juglone, which affects some species greatly while others
not at all. Eucalyptus leaf litter and root exudates are allelopathic
for certain soil microbes and plant species." from above URL.

Bill who likes the smell of fennel but is ignorant of using it with
skill. Nice foliage and licorice smell but I guess it is one of those
foods I did not grow up with. Probably missing something else as usual.

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

Not all who wander are lost.
- J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973)

andy candy wrote:
This year I decided to try growing some fennel in my garden.
Unbeknownst to me, however, fennel apparently inhibits the growth of
tomatoes -- at least this is what I have been told. Can anyone testify
personally to this? Should I also uproot the fennel once it's big
enough? I have it growing on both ends of my garden, right next to my
Brandywine and Caspian Pink plants. Alternately, is there a "safe"
distance away from my tomatoes where I can transplant the fennel? I'm
also curious if anyone knows how the inhibitive fennel effect works --
via the roots, flowers, fully grown plants, whatever.

Much obliged to all for any shared advice.

Drew (rhymes with Grew)

I have grown fennel in many parts of my garden for years, it now self-seeds
all over and I pull out the ones I don't need. I have not noticed it
inhibiting anything.

David

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

andy candy wrote:
This year I decided to try growing some fennel in my garden.
Unbeknownst to me, however, fennel apparently inhibits the growth of
tomatoes -- at least this is what I have been told. Can anyone testify
personally to this? Should I also uproot the fennel once it's big
enough? I have it growing on both ends of my garden, right next to my
Brandywine and Caspian Pink plants. Alternately, is there a "safe"
distance away from my tomatoes where I can transplant the fennel? I'm
also curious if anyone knows how the inhibitive fennel effect works --
via the roots, flowers, fully grown plants, whatever.

Much obliged to all for any shared advice.

Drew (rhymes with Grew)

I have grown fennel in many parts of my garden for years, it now self-seeds
all over and I pull out the ones I don't need. I have not noticed it
inhibiting anything.

David

Thanks for the reality check, David. Is this the type of fennel that
grows a bulb or the one that grows a large tap root?
--

- Billy
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being
is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the
moment of conception until death." - Rachel Carson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En2TzBE0lp4

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050688.html

Billy wrote:
In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

andy candy wrote:
This year I decided to try growing some fennel in my garden.
Unbeknownst to me, however, fennel apparently inhibits the growth of
tomatoes -- at least this is what I have been told. Can anyone
testify personally to this? Should I also uproot the fennel once
it's big enough? I have it growing on both ends of my garden, right
next to my Brandywine and Caspian Pink plants. Alternately, is
there a "safe" distance away from my tomatoes where I can
transplant the fennel? I'm also curious if anyone knows how the
inhibitive fennel effect works -- via the roots, flowers, fully
grown plants, whatever.

Much obliged to all for any shared advice.

Drew (rhymes with Grew)

I have grown fennel in many parts of my garden for years, it now
self-seeds all over and I pull out the ones I don't need. I have
not noticed it inhibiting anything.

David

Thanks for the reality check, David. Is this the type of fennel that
grows a bulb or the one that grows a large tap root?

The bulb sort 'Florence' fennel, I have no idea if that is important.
Apparently there is evidence of some allelopathy from some sort of fennel
but in the studies I saw it doesn't affect all plants and some proven
effects are not very strong.

David

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

Billy wrote:
In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

andy candy wrote:
This year I decided to try growing some fennel in my garden.
Unbeknownst to me, however, fennel apparently inhibits the growth of
tomatoes -- at least this is what I have been told. Can anyone
testify personally to this? Should I also uproot the fennel once
it's big enough? I have it growing on both ends of my garden, right
next to my Brandywine and Caspian Pink plants. Alternately, is
there a "safe" distance away from my tomatoes where I can
transplant the fennel? I'm also curious if anyone knows how the
inhibitive fennel effect works -- via the roots, flowers, fully
grown plants, whatever.

Much obliged to all for any shared advice.

Drew (rhymes with Grew)

I have grown fennel in many parts of my garden for years, it now
self-seeds all over and I pull out the ones I don't need. I have
not noticed it inhibiting anything.

David

Thanks for the reality check, David. Is this the type of fennel that
grows a bulb or the one that grows a large tap root?

The bulb sort 'Florence' fennel, I have no idea if that is important.
Apparently there is evidence of some allelopathy from some sort of fennel
but in the studies I saw it doesn't affect all plants and some proven
effects are not very strong.

David

Thanks for growing my vocabulary and my consciousness.

http://everything2.com/title/allelopathy

A good example of an allelopathic species is production of inhibitory
chemicals by fennel. The roots of fennel plants produce a suite of
chemicals which can reduce the root elongation, root hair growth and
germination of neighbouring plants, like lettuce. This is an example of
allelopathic exudation.
---

A good example maybe, but from your observations, DAvid, not persuasive.
The wild fennel in my garden, has always been off by itself and doesn't
try to spread, so I've never seen any interaction. Something to keep an
eye out for.
--

- Billy
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being
is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the
moment of conception until death." - Rachel Carson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En2TzBE0lp4

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050688.html