Open-Pollinated · 40–45 days from direct seeding
cool-season · timing varies by zone
Grows well in
Raised Bed ✓
In-Ground ✓
Container/Pot ✓
Grow Bag ✓
Meet This Plant
Arugula Rocket is the green that shows up quickly and makes everything it touches taste better. It's peppery, a little nutty, and just bitter enough to keep things interesting. It can go from seed to your salad bowl in about 40 days, and if you keep harvesting it, it keeps producing. It's one of the easiest and most rewarding things a beginner gardener can grow.
What it tastes like: Peppery, a little nutty, and slightly bitter in a way that's more interesting than harsh. Young leaves are milder and more delicate. The older and bigger the leaf, the sharper the bite.
How to Grow It
Sun
Full sun in cool weather. Partial shade in warm climates helps slow bolting and keeps the flavor from going too sharp.
Water
Keep soil consistently moist. Drought stress makes leaves bitter fast and speeds up bolting. Don't let it dry out.
Sowing Details
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Depth¼ inch. Barely cover with soil. Arugula germinates best when planted shallowly.
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Spacing1 inch, thinning to 4–6 inches
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Row Spacing12–18 inches
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Thinning4–6 inches. Eat the thinnings.
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Germination5–7 days
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Days to Maturity40–45 days from direct seeding. Baby leaves ready in 2–3 weeks.
When to Plant
For spring, direct sow as soon as the soil can be worked, even 2–4 weeks before your last frost when daytime temperatures are consistently in the 40s to 50s°F. Arugula handles frost without trouble.
For fall, direct sow 6–8 weeks before your first fall frost or once daytime temperatures begin dropping below about 75°F, and keep going until about a month before hard freeze.
Succession sow every 2 weeks in both seasons for a continuous harvest.
Zones 7–8
Direct sow in early spring while temperatures are still cool and again in late summer once the heat breaks. Arugula bolts fast in heat and the leaves turn aggressively bitter, so don't push it into summer.
Zones 9–11
Fall through winter is your best season. Direct sow once the heat breaks and keep succession sowing through the cooler months.
Grow Friend Tips
It's one of the fastest grow babies you'll ever plant
Baby arugula is ready in 2–3 weeks. No, that's not a typo. If you're new to gardening and need a quick win, this is your grow babe. Sow a small row today and you'll be eating it before it gives you time to forget about it.
Succession sow and harvest often
Arugula is cut-and-come-again, meaning it regrows 2–3 times after you harvest it if you take outer leaves and leave the center intact. But even with that, each planting has a lifespan before it bolts or gets too sharp. Sow a small row every 2 weeks through spring and again in late summer so you always have plants at different stages coming in behind each other.
Harvest young for the best flavor
The smaller the leaf, the milder and more pleasant the flavor. Once leaves get large and the plant starts to bolt, the peppery bite gets aggressive. Stay ahead of it by harvesting outer leaves regularly starting at 2–3 inches.
Flea beetles will find it. Row cover is your best friend.
Arugula is a flea beetle magnet. Those tiny holes in the leaves are their calling card. Put row cover on at planting and leave it until you're ready to harvest. It's the easiest and most effective solution.
It grows great in containers
A container at least 6 inches deep works fine. Great for a balcony, porch, or keeping it close to the kitchen. Succession sow right in the container every 2 weeks for a steady supply.
Companion plants Lettuce Nasturtium Marigold Tomato Peas Radish
Harvest & What to Do With It
When it's ready
Baby leaves are ready at 2–3 inches, about 2–3 weeks in. Full-size leaves are ready at 40–45 days when they're 4–6 inches long. Don't wait too long. Once the plant starts to bolt and the center stem pushes up, the leaves turn sharp and bitter fast.
How to harvest
You can cut the leaves or the entire plant about an inch above the soil for the best chance of regrowth. Cut outer leaves at the base of the stem, leaving the center intact. Don't pull the whole plant unless you're done with it.
Yield
One planting usually gives you 2–3 harvests before it bolts and runs its course. Succession sowing is the secret to having arugula all season.
Short-term storage
Wrap unwashed in a damp paper towel and refrigerate. Keeps 7–10 days. Arugula wilts faster than most greens once cut so use it quickly.
Long-term storage
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Freezing: Arugula loses its texture and peppery flavor completely when frozen. Not worth it for fresh use.
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Dehydrating: Not practical or useful for arugula.
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Pressure canning: Not safe or appropriate.
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Water bath canning: Not a canning crop.
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Pickling: Doesn't hold up. Not recommended.
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Root cellaring: Doesn't apply.
What to cook
It's best raw. Toss it in a salad, pile it on pizza, layer it on a sandwich, or toss it into warm pasta. The peppery bite is the whole reason you grew it. Cooking softens the bite, but it's delicious either way.
Seed Storage & Saving
| Variety |
Arugula Rocket |
| Type |
Open-Pollinated |
| Seeds per packet |
~300 seeds |
Storing unused seeds: Keep somewhere cool, dark, and dry. Viable up to 5 years.
Seed saving: Arugula is insect-pollinated and will cross with other arugula varieties nearby. Isolate by at least half a mile for reliable purity, or grow only one variety at a time. Let a few plants bolt and flower. Once the seed pods are dry and papery on the plant, cut the stalks, bring them inside to finish drying, then crush the pods by hand to release the seeds. Store in a cool, dark place.
