The bitter taste of rocket gives many Mediterranean dishes that certain something. Anyone who plants arugula as a salad can always use the aromatic herb fresh from their own garden.
The Germans once brought the wild rocket over the Alps to northern Italy, where the rocket spread rapidly. In German-speaking countries, however, the rocket was long forgotten. Since the end of the 20th century, however, it has been celebrating its return to our latitudes. Thanks to the popularity of Italian food, arugula is being planted again. The term rocket comes from the Italian and is mainly used today. Some other names are Rukola, Ruke, garden mustard, rocket and in English rocket or arugula. German supermarkets mainly sell rocket varieties (Eruca sativa). Wild rocket (Diplotaxis tenulifolia) is less common and can be recognized by its much narrower and smaller leaves. The two types also differ in taste and speed of growth, because the rocket grows faster and tastes much milder and nuttier.
As already mentioned, growing arugula in the garden is becoming increasingly popular. Arugula can also be easily grown in raised beds or in pots on the balcony. And if you don't want to do without the spicy salad all year round, you can grow rocket in your home all year round. Growing arugula yourself is very easy and recommendable. The hobby gardener only has to decide which variety to grow. The salad rocket can usually only be grown once a year, while the wild rocket can be grown for several years.
Growing arugula: the right location
The location, which both types of arugula prefer, should be sunny to half-shady and ideally have humus-rich and loose soil that does not tend to spoil. An even water supply and good aeration of the soil are also important for rocket. This applies regardless of whether the rocket is to be grown in a pot, in the garden or on the windowsill. We have listed some special features of the location for the different types of cultivation below.
Arugula in bed
If the soil in your garden is too clayey, you can mix in some sand and, for example, our Plantura organic compost to loosen and aerate the soil. Due to the extra portion of compost, our compost soil has a high proportion of organic matter, which also has a long-term positive effect on the water retention capacity of the soil. In the bed you should also make sure that no cruciferous plants (Brassicaceae), such as cabbage (Brassica oleracea), have been grown there in the previous four years. This is because arugula belongs to the same plant family, so it can be affected by the same diseases that often survive the winter in the soil.
Arugula in raised bed
Cultivating rocket in raised beds is usually even easier and is particularly useful in spring, as the soil warms up faster here and water can drain off better. In this case, too, our Plantura organic compost is suitable for filling.
Arugula in a pot on the balcony or terrace
Because arugula can also get by with a small amount of soil, it is well suited for cultivation in pots or balcony boxes. As in raised beds, a humus-rich, loose and well-drained substrate should be chosen.
Arugula on the windowsill
If you don't want to do without the tasty herb during the winter, you can plant arugula on the windowsill. However, it is important to ensure that the plant gets enough light in any case, i.e. it is on a sunny windowsill and the soil does not dry out. Ideally, rocket is in a room with about 20 °C, although it can be a little cooler for germination with a temperature of around 15 °C.
Tip: In contrast to the salad rocket, the wild rocket usually survives the winter well and can therefore be cultivated for several years. You should also keep that in mind when choosing a location.
Sowing arugula: timing, sowing depth and more
Sowing rocket directly in the bed or in the pot usually works without any problems. Of course you can also prefer it on the windowsill and then plant the rocket out. However, since new arugula has to be sown again and again for a longer harvest period, pulling it forward is comparatively time-consuming and therefore not recommended in the home vegetable garden.
The right oneTime
Most varieties can be sown outdoors from April to September. Rocket can only be harvested two to three times before it blooms. It is therefore advisable to sow them in sets every three weeks. This way you can enjoy fresh arugula from spring to autumn.
Preparation Before Sowing
Preparing the bed includes removing weeds, loosening the soil with a hoe, for example, and creating a finely crumbly seedbed. Also make sure that there are no other cruciferous plants (Brassicaceae) near the rocket bed, otherwise problems with flea beetles can easily occur in spring.
Sowing of rocket seeds
Create shallow seed furrows about 15 cm apart and sow your rocket in them. In order to be able to distribute the rocket seeds evenly, the seeds can also be mixed with sand. The rocket seeds should then be covered with a maximum of 0.5 cm of soil and pressed down well and watered heavily.
Tip: If you grow rocket in a mixed culture, it can also be sown in small clumps.
Continue
Keep the soil constantly moist, avoiding waterlogging in any case. At optimal germination temperatures, which are between 10 and 20 °C depending on the variety, the first little plants should be visible after 10 to 14 days at the latest. If necessary, you can separate the seeds to a distance of about 5 cm after emergence, but even without this measure, arugula will thrive luxuriantly.
Tip: If you have bought young arugula plants in stores, they will have to be planted at some point. The young plants can also move into the bed between April and September - better protected under a fleece in spring in cold winter regions. The young plants are planted directly 15 cm apart and kept moist for just the first week while they spread their roots into the surrounding soil. Keep arugula plants apart from other cruciferous plants to keep them he althy.
Good neighbors for arugula
Rucola is suitable as a mixed culture partner for many plants. For example, other lettuces include celery (Apium graveolens), onions(Allium), basil (Ocimum basilicum) and marigolds (Calendula officinalis) good neighbors for arugula. Planting rocket and tomatoes together is also possible, because rocket stays small and has low nutrient requirements.
Less good neighbors for arugula are spinach (Spinacia oleracea), coriander (Coraindrum sativum), peas ( Pisum sativum) and all kinds of cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage (Brassica oleracea), radish (Raphanus sativus var. sativus ), cress (Lepidium sativum) or mustard (Sinapis alba, Brassica spec.).
If you are looking for more fast-growing plants, we have compiled fast-growing vegetables in a separate article.