Meet the neighbours · herb
Fennel
Every part is edible — fronds, bulb, and seed — with a sweet, licorice-like flavour.
Fennel is the elegant neighbour whose every part is edible: fronds, bulb, and seed. It is related to carrots and closer to parsley than to its lookalike, dill.
Fennel is generally considered a poor companion plant in the vegetable garden overall — not just with dill. One helpful note: unlike dill, which loses its flavour when dried, fennel leaves dry well, making them a good choice for winter tea.
How to grow it
- Do not plant dill and fennel near each other — they cross-pollinate and ruin the flavour of both.
- Fennel is generally considered a poor companion in the vegetable garden overall; give it its own space.
- Grows best in full sun and well-drained soil.
How to use & eat it
- Toast seeds in a dry skillet for 3-4 minutes to bring out a nutty, licorice-like flavour — great in Italian dishes, curry, or homemade bread.
- Fronds are good chopped fresh in salads or dried for tea; unlike dill, fennel leaves keep their flavour when dried, so they make a solid winter tea.
- The bulb can be thinly sliced fresh or sautéed.
- A simmered seed tea can help with bloating, heartburn, and infant colic.
Makes friends with
Companion planting is just good neighbouring — these do better beside Fennel.
ParsleyCarrot
Other neighbours
- Carrot TopsContain more vitamin C and A than the carrot root itself — don't throw them away.
- ParsleyFlat or curly, this vitamin-rich herb is worth the slow start from seed.