Growing Arugula

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Arugula

Arugula
Johnny's Selected Seeds

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Also known as “rocket” or “roquette,” arugula is a fast-growing, cool-season salad green that adds a tangy, mustard-like flavor to salads. Here’s how to plant and grow arugula in your garden!

Arugula is often found in mesclun mixes. Plant early or late in the growing season and you will be able to harvest as soon as 4 weeks after sowing. The seedlings are hardy and tolerate some frost.

Planting

  • Arugula prefers humus-rich, well-drained soil, but will tolerate a wide variety of conditions.
  • Plant outdoors in full sun or part shade as soon as the soil can be worked in spring. See local frost dates.
  • Sow in late-summer for a fall or early-winter harvest.
  • Plant ¼-inch deep and about 1 inch apart in rows 10 inches apart. Alternatively, broadcast arugula seeds alone or mix with other greens.
  • Seeds germinate in a few days.
  • Sow new seeds every 2 to 3 weeks for a continuous harvest.

Care

  • Keep soil evenly moist.
  • Thin seedlings to about 6 inches apart, using the thinnings for salads.
  • To reduce heat stress, provide some shade for warm-season plantings.

Pests/Diseases

Harvest/Storage

  • The leaves taste best when young.
  • Harvest leaves when they are about 2-3 inches long.
  • Pull up the whole plants or cut individual leaves.
  • The white flowers are edible. 

Recommended Varieties

  • ‘Runway’ – Very fast growing plant with large-lobed leaves.
  • ‘Garden’ – Fast growing plants produce leaves with a mild, radish-like flavor.
  • ‘Italian Rocket’ – Also known as ‘Wild Italian Rocket’. Finely cut leaves with sharp flavor.
  • ‘Sylvetta’ – Small-lobed leaves. Slow growing and slow to bolt.
  • ‘Astro’ – Fast growing with a mild flavor.

Wit & Wisdom

Recipes

Cooking Notes

Packed with vitamins and minerals, arugula is often used fresh or in cooked dishes. Toss arugula into…

  • Salads
  • Soups
  • Omelettes and eggs
  • Sandwiches
  • Grains
  • Pizza toppings (Dress arugula lightly in a lemony vinaigrette.)

pizza-711662_1920_full_width.jpg

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Reader Comments

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Discolored Arugula

Submitted by Kelli on

Hello! My arugula is having some trouble. It's discolored (yellow, purple-ish) and is not growing very well. It is in a fabric container about 18" in diameter, in partial shade. I'm wondering if it's a soil deficiency or over-watering? I'm in central Oregon, where we have cold nights and it's starting to warm up but it hasn't been too hot yet.

Pots

Submitted by John on

Could you grow arugula indoors in a pot?

Growing Arugula

Botanical Name

Eruca sativa
Plant Type Vegetable
Sun Exposure Full Sun
Soil Type
Soil pH Neutral
Bloom Time
Flower Color
Hardiness Zones 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
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