How to Grow Anise From Seed

Anise needs a long, warm season, so timing matters. Direct-sow it in spring once all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed to at least 60F. Because it needs 110 to 130 frost-free days to ripen its seed, gardeners in short-season areas should sow as early as it is safe to, or start it in biodegradable pots indoors a few weeks ahead and transplant the whole pot without disturbing the taproot.

Anise grows a taproot and dislikes being moved, so sow the seeds right where the plants will grow. Use fresh seed for best results, sowing about a quarter inch deep, one or two seeds per inch, in light, well-drained soil in full sun. Keep the bed evenly moist and seedlings appear in about 6 to 14 days at 65 to 70F. Once they are a few inches tall, thin them to about 6 inches apart, in rows 18 inches apart, so the lacy plants have room and airflow.

Anise is fairly easygoing once it is up. Keep young plants weeded and evenly watered, since competition and drought stress make them bolt early with little seed. Give the tall, slender stems a sheltered, sunny spot, as they can flop in wind, and mound a little soil around the base or grow them in a block for mutual support. Avoid heavy nitrogen feeding, which pushes leafy growth at the expense of the aromatic seed you are after. Anise needs a long warm run to ripen seed, roughly 120 frost-free days, so where you live sets your odds. Gardeners across the South and Southwest and in warm parts of California have plenty of season to bring seed to harvest; in short-season northern zones, start it indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost, or grow it mainly for its leaves and flowers.

Anise is a good garden neighbor whose flowers draw in beneficial insects, and older gardening lore holds that it grows well alongside coriander. These four make especially good companions, and you can add any of them in one click:

Anise is grown mainly for its seed. Watch the flat flower umbels through late summer and harvest when the little seeds have turned grayish-brown and the heads are drying on the plant. Clip whole umbels, pop them into paper bags, and hang them upside down somewhere warm and airy so the seeds finish drying and drop free. Rub the heads to release any that cling, then store the fully dry seed in an airtight jar. You can also snip the young feathery leaves anytime.

Homegrown anise seed is a baker's treasure, warm and sweetly licorice-scented, and it flavors biscotti, springerle, pizzelle, rye and seed breads, cookies, and pickles, and steeps into a fragrant after-dinner tea. The young ferny leaves are lovely snipped fresh into salads, slaws, soups, and fruit dishes. Out in the garden the umbels of tiny white flowers are a favorite of bees and predatory wasps that keep pests in check.

• Poor transplanting: anise hates root disturbance. Direct-sow it, or move it only as a very young seedling in a biodegradable pot.
• Seed not ripening: usually too short or cool a season. Sow early, choose your sunniest spot, and be patient into late summer.
• Flopping stems: the tall, slender plants can lodge in wind. Grow them in a sheltered block for mutual support or stake lightly.
• Aphids: rinse them off with water; the flowers attract predatory wasps and hoverflies that help control them.