Fennel

Water

Rain is enough, even in a dry year.

Needs about 470 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 710 mm it can use in a normal year (500 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 200 mm from the monsoon at sowing.

Heavy rain here can waterlog it. Grow it on raised beds or land that drains well.

Temperature

Grows best at 15–25 °C on average, and survives 6–32 °C.

Here, in its growing months (day / night):

• Nov 21 °C / 11 °C
• Dec 18 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 16 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 19 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 22 °C / 11 °C
• Apr 23 °C / 14 °C
• May 24 °C / 16 °C

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Soil

Soil for Fennel: 8 out of 10 (good).

• Soil here is often more acidic than it likes.
• Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of nitrogen.
• Most fields here are short of copper.

Likes pH 6.5–7.5.

Money

Yield: about 6.6 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).

Mandi price at last season's harvest (May–June 2026): about ₹8,550 a quintal across India's mandis.

This week: about ₹11,100 a quintal, the middle of 6 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹47,000 a season after typical costs.

Prices swing a lot from year to year, so income can be well above or below this range.

Prices are usually best in November.

Typical costs are about ₹27,000 an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2024–2026), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.