Fennel vs Tomatoes

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)

Reply to
andy candy
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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

Reply to
Val

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

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.

Reply to
Bill

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

Reply to
David Hare-Scott

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?

Reply to
Billy

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

Reply to
David Hare-Scott

Thanks for growing my vocabulary and my consciousness.

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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.

Reply to
Billy

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