Crockpot Barley Vegetable Soup

I found this recipe online, of course, at fatfreevegan.com, but then I made a couple of changes, since I don't like green beans and it was featuring green beans. Here's the modified version.

Ingredients:
1 c. medium pearl barley
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 9-oz pkg baby carrots (I just used about 10-15 out of a larger bag I had)
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 tsp minced garlic
1 large or 2 med sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 16-oz pkg frozen mixed vegetables
1 tsp salt
5-1/2 - 6 c. water with 3-4 Tbsp of McKay's Chicken-Style seasoning (or 3 14-oz cans vegetable broth)
4 c. water
2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes with herbs, undrained

Place all ingredients except tomatoes in a 5-6 quart crockpot in the order given. Do not stir. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Stir soup and add tomatoes. Cover crockpot and cook 20-30 minutes longer until soup is hot.

Remove bay leaf before serving.

10-12 servings.