{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "record_type": "plant",
  "slug": "fennel",
  "common_name": "Fennel",
  "botanical_name": "Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum",
  "family": "Apiaceae",
  "summary": "Florence fennel is a sun-loving vegetable grown for crisp swollen leaf bases, with warm establishment, generous spacing and uninterrupted moisture reducing the risk of bolting.",
  "categories": [
    "swollen stem crop",
    "culinary vegetable",
    "container crop"
  ],
  "growth_habits": [
    "upright",
    "feathery-leaved",
    "swollen leaf bases"
  ],
  "lifecycle": "Annual",
  "difficulty": "Moderate",
  "requirements": {
    "light": {
      "minimum_direct_sun_hours": 6,
      "preferred_direct_sun_hours": 8
    },
    "soil_ph": {
      "minimum": 6.5,
      "maximum": 8.0
    },
    "container": {
      "minimum_volume_litres": 30,
      "minimum_diameter_cm": 40,
      "plants_per_container": 3
    },
    "spacing": {
      "minimum_cm": 10,
      "maximum_cm": 30
    },
    "planting_out": {
      "minimum_reliable_temperature_c": 10,
      "frost_tolerant": false,
      "label": "Direct sow or transplant intact modules",
      "note": "Sow outdoors once conditions warm, or harden off module-grown plants and set them out after frost without disturbing the rootball"
    },
    "harvest": {
      "typical_uk_months": [
        "July",
        "October"
      ]
    }
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "rhs-growing-florence-fennel",
      "publisher": "Royal Horticultural Society",
      "url": "https://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/florence-fennel/grow-your-own",
      "supports": [
        "crop_type",
        "cultivars",
        "light",
        "soil",
        "sowing",
        "containers",
        "spacing",
        "planting_out",
        "watering",
        "blanching",
        "harvest",
        "problems"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "usu-fennel-garden",
      "publisher": "Utah State University Extension",
      "url": "https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/fennel-in-the-garden",
      "supports": [
        "botanical_name",
        "lifecycle",
        "soil_ph",
        "fertility",
        "sowing",
        "spacing",
        "watering",
        "crop_development",
        "problems",
        "harvest",
        "storage"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kew-foeniculum-vulgare",
      "publisher": "Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew",
      "url": "https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A842680-1",
      "supports": [
        "accepted_species_name",
        "family"
      ]
    }
  ]
}