Fennel - anyone grow this ??

[cone9]

I grew two Italian Fennel plants this year.  The tallest is now about 4' 6".  I have enjoyed using some of the leaves but neither plant has produced a bulb, just a 1 inch thick stem.
 
What did I do wrong (or not do right)?

 

[Spokanepepperman]

Same here I've tried several times with disappointing results I'm in zone 6a

 

[Dasgrinch]

There are two types of fennel, one that bulbs, and one that does not.  You may want to check the variety you're seeding for. 
 
Also hello to a fellow NE Ohio person =P

 

[Spokanepepperman]

My seed packet showed a huge fat bulb mine was tiny about 2in tall and an inch thick all three times

 

[tctenten]

I grew two Italian Fennel plants this year.  The tallest is now about 4' 6".  I have enjoyed using some of the leaves but neither plant has produced a bulb, just a 1 inch thick stem.
 
What did I do wrong (or not do right)?

Same here. I just pulled plant yesterday.

 

[SavinaRed]

Fennel is one seasoning I'm not very fond of so I'm not much help. There are some areas where I grew up where it grew in the wild, my mom would use it in certain Greek dishes. I remember her as a kid when she would go driving looking for it along side the road and pick it for her cooking.

 

[Honey Badger]

As someone said earlier, there are two types of fennel: herb fennel and bulb fennel. I had herb fennel (bronze and green) and the feathery leaves are great with chicken and fish, they add little aniseedy notes, very pleasant. The seed are also very pungent and I used them liberally in curries and baking. Seeds also fall off the plant and self seed so you want to be careful but is not invasive and you can control it quite easily. They do grow rather tall and they look magnificent in the back of the garden. Lovely plants.