Growing arugula is not an art, because this is an easy-care salad plant. However, it is best to follow our tips when growing.
Arugula is often associated with Italian cuisine, especially since it is not only used as a salad there, but also as an ingredient in pizza.
And its slightly nutty taste is the reason why rocket (used in the vernacular in the past also called salad rocket or mustard rocket) has become very popular again.
If you also love this Mediterranean salad plant, then you should simply grow rocket yourself. Arugula tastes even better fresh from the garden. Here are our tips on how best to grow your crop.
Growing rocket - How it's done
Selection of location and sowing:
Rucola is one of the annual types of lettuce and can be pre-cultivated from January on a moderately warm window sill (approx. 10 to 20 degrees). The germination time of the seeds is about 14 days on average.
» Tip:
If you let the arugula bloom later in the garden bed (white-yellowish bloom), you can harvest the seeds yourself. Then keep dry for the next sowing. The seed also spreads itself through the flower in the garden and often sprouts again as a salad plant.
Plant arugula outdoors:
From March you can then plant the rocket outdoors in a location that is as sunny as possible. But be careful: In extreme freezing temperatures, you should still protect the rocket with a garden fleece.
» Tip:
You should treat the site with plenty of compost in autumn, as this will allow the rocket to grow even better.
When choosing a location, you must also remember that you must always place rocket in a nutrient-rich place where no cabbage varieties have previously found their place. Because these vegetables do not harmonize with each other. Arugula would only be possible as a subsequent crop from the 3rd year of cultivation.
Maintain Rocket:
The advantages of the easy-care rocket are described by the fact that the plant grows extremely quickly (harvest possible after approx. 4 to 6 weeks) and actually does not require any additional fertilizer. And with regularIrrigated on dry days, it also provides a relatively high crop yield.
» Tip:
You should regularly loosen the soil around the lettuce plants with a garden rake to prevent pest infestation (e.g. flea beetles).
Control pests:
If you discover leaf spot disease on rocket, you will unfortunately have to cut out the plant completely and dispose of it. This disease usually occurs when fertilizer is applied too intensively.
The rocket can also be attacked by the cabbage fly. An insect net offers sufficient protection against these pests.
Harvest arugula:
If you don't cut the leaves too deeply when harvesting, the ferrous and calcium-rich rocket will even sprout several times. Then you can even harvest the rocket three more times.
» Tip:
If you want to make a salad with the rocket, then you should remove the stems of the rocket to avoid bitter substances and to emphasize its nutty, slightly spicy taste. Also really tasty: a pizza with rocket. Just try it and let yourself be surprised by the taste experience.
After about 2 months, you can sow the rocket again at a different location, which extends the harvest time of the fresh lettuce even further. The rocket can be harvested without any problems until the end of September.