Gardeners are always on the search for a few fast-growing plants to add to their vegetable patch. Those which germinate easily and are quick to harvest.
Why?
Simply because we get hungry and peckish while other crops take months and months to mature.
Plus, it’s an all-around fantastic feeling to head out to the garden and pluck a few fresh leaves to garnish your bacon and eggs. As if you went out to a posh restaurant.
It’s true, arugula is a trendy leaf that has only come into the picture in recent years. Yet, I wholeheartedly believe it is more than just a fad (like that thing with kale). With the right temperature and the absence of a few peckish pests, a bunch of arugula can be yours for the taking.
Ready to grow your own arugula yet?
Reasons to Grow Arugula
Eruca vesicaria ssp. sativa: rocket, garden rocket, rocket salad, roka, roquette, ruchetta, rugula, rucola. Give it whatever name you like. Just be sure to plant some in your garden and introduce it into your life.
For starters, arugula is a cool-season crop that is ready to harvest in about 40 days after seeding. How’s that for a quick harvest?
It also happens to be a member of the Brassicaceae family.
The peppery sharpness of each leaf is a beautiful thing. That is if you enjoy foods that pack a slight punch.
Arugula is an annual, though if you let it mature, it will drop its seeds on the ground. The seeds will germinate the following growing season when temperatures are just right.
This makes arugula a self-sufficient vegetable in your garden. Tending to it is uncomplicated, as it does much of the work for you. Although you may need to go in and weed a little.
Arugula is also notable for its vitamin and mineral content, even exceeding spinach and kale in some instances.
It can be planted in full sun, yet it also tolerates partial shade.
Plant it directly in the ground or in containers, so long as the soil is well-draining. The only time arugula is difficult to grow, is in the heat of summer.
Spring and fall are the best times to plant and harvest arugula for both their leaves and edible flowers.
How to Plant Arugula
First things first, you’ll have to select a tasty variety of arugula before planting.
Look for these varieties of arugula where seeds are sold:
- Red Dragon
- Wasabi
- Bellezia
- Slow Bolt
- Astro
- Italian Cress
- Rocket
- Sylvetta
In many cases, baby greens are ready to eat in only 21 days.
On to planting…
Arugula seeds can be direct-sown from the moment the soil can be worked outdoors. It can also be late-summer or fall planted – just be sure to keep into account your first frost date when sowing seeds.
The seeds will germinate in soil temperatures down to 40°F (4°C), making it one of the first seeds to sow in the garden.
To sow arugula seeds, set them in the ground not more than 1/4-inch deep. In general, they should be planted about 6″ apart. However, if you sow the seeds more densely, you can then thin the plants to this measurement.
Be sure to eat the plants you thin out.
Rows of arugula should be about 10″ apart.
Arugula plant habits
When mature, individual arugula plants can reach a modest height of 10-24″.
The leaves are irregular and pinnately-lobed which appear in rosettes. In some cases, they resemble a feather and often look like some elongated oak leaves.
Their mustard-like flavor comes in handy in the kitchen, as you’ll discover in the versatile recipes below.
Sow arugula seeds every 14-21 days as cool weather persists for a continuous harvest.
For the most part, arugula will grow in nearly every type of soil. Though it performs the absolute best when it has access to plenty of organic matter.
Flavor-wise it is the most pleasantly peppery when it isn’t stressed by either drought or excess heat.
Harvesting Arugula
Arugula is best consumed fresh from the garden within minutes of gathering.
You’ll find some tasty recipes below, but for now, how will you know when it is ready to harvest?
How long till the first arugula harvest?
As mentioned, the days to maturity for arugula is approximately 40 days.
But, you don’t have to wait that long to pluck a few leaves here and there.
Just 3 weeks (or when the leaves are 3″ long) after planting you can start harvesting baby leaves for salads and sandwiches.
The youngest leaves will be tender and less pungent. As they mature, the peppery flavor will really stand out. At that point, they are best for cooking.
How many times can you harvest arugula?
The truth is, it is best to harvest a few leaves of arugula at a time. Some from each plant and not all at once. Then let them rest and regenerate.
In this way, you can eat arugula throughout the cooler months.
To extend the growing season into the heat of summer, it may be beneficial to provide them with a shade cloth. Or simply plant them in the shade of taller plants, such as beans, tomatoes or corn.
Potential Problems Growing Arugula
Remember the flea beetles from above?
Really they come from below. Flea beetle larvae hatch from eggs and immediately begin feeding on the roots of newly planted seedlings.
What a nuisance they can be. They jump (hence the name flea) and they devour several garden crops. This includes young Brassicas, radishes, squashes, beans, corn, potatoes and lettuce.
Flea beetles also have an appetite for weeds.