As long as you were told it isn't the "vegetable," bulbing-type, you should be good. Even so, the 4" pots would hold young bulbing types just fine for some time.

You can use the fennel leaves. I never really do. I like it when fennel flowers (yellow umbrella-like blooms) and then I let the seeds mature. The dry seeds have a nice anise-like flavor and are used medicinally or in the kitchen. Fennel is a great butterfly host plant as well. The swallowtail caterpillars here love it.

FataMorgana

Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell's - Fennel page

I have found that even the 'ordinary' fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) such as you have will develop a small 'bulb' when mature, which is useful for cooking - all parts are edible. However, the one you want for the bulbs is Florence Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare azoricum), which is grown particularly for its much larger 'bulb'. The flavour of the leaves is more delicate than that of the F. vulgare. A mature can of both species will grow to about 2 metres tall and about 60cm wide - so clearly your 4" pots are very temporary - note, fennel does not transplant well if you leave it too long, because of its long taproot.

In good conditions, bulbs usually size up before winter. Some gardeners pull loose soil up around the bulbs to blanch them.

Sow seeds in spring at a temperature of 20�C. Germinates in less than 2 weeks. It will self-seed readily. Fennel does not transplant well because of its deep taproot. It can also be propagated by root division after the seeds have been harvested. It does well in a loamy soil and poorly in clay. The richer the soil, the more tender the foliage will be. Prefers pH 5.0-6.0. It is known as a �bad companion� and should not be planted near other plants, especially Dill with which it will readily cross-pollinate. It will grow in full sun but prefers protection from midday sun. If grown in a pot, it needs to be large and the plant may required staking. Remove flowerheads in summer to maintain leaf production. Cut back old growth in autumn. It may die back completely in winter. Mulch well in very cold climates during winter.

thank you..you all..
just worked a 12 hr day im beat..i will respond to this post tomorrow.... a side note my tage says this is a annual not a perineal??? but i keep reading that its a perineal?? i think they get the seed from Ball Horticultural Company..

sry i will repost more tomorrow

I have never been able to grow fennel from seeds. I cannot find the plants locally in the nursery either.

I'm not sure where you live, but direct sowing fennel has worked well for me even in very poor and dismal soil. What are you doing to start your seeds?

FataMorgana

FataMorgana: I am currently soaking my seeds. Then I would put it in starters. Last year I put them directly on ground and that didn't work!
I am in Georgia (zone 8)

I've never soaked the seeds. I just sowed them directly into the garden bed. Here's a swallowtail caterpillar on the fennel I grew this way.

FataMorgana

Sweet fennel does get to be quite a large plant and products lot of seeds. I will self seed but I never found it to be invasive in fact it never seemed to produce enough plants the following year.

ok its been a 2 weeks or so since i planted the sweet fennel into 4" pots...i have 3 plants per pots and there growing like crazzy!!!!!!!! went from 3",to now 8" to 10" UHG...this is not good AND they look like there going to form a base bulb..

my intent was to resell them like the other herbs that we grow..but it seens like there growing to fast and maybe to many in one pot??

what size would someone look for when buying a sweet fennel 4"pot for there garden?? most of the herbs we gorw do not get much higher then 6" to 8" befor they are sold.... usually if they get bigger than 8" we make 2 to 3 gal.mixed herb pots or "we call them herb bowls"