Vegetable · Brassicaceae
Arugula
Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa
Sow it in cool weather and you can be cutting peppery leaves in about a month.
Full sun
Every 2–3 days
41–77°F · 5–25°C
40–50 days
Overview
Arugula is the fast, peppery salad green that rewards an impatient gardener. It belongs to the cabbage family, the same group as broccoli and mustard, and that family tie is where the sharp, mustardy bite comes from. Sow a short row and you can be picking leaves about 4 to 6 weeks later.
This is a cool-season crop at heart. It does its best work in the mild stretches of spring and fall, when the leaves stay tender and nutty. Push it into the heat of midsummer and the plant bolts, sending up a flower stalk and turning the leaves bitter and tough.
Few greens ask less of you. Arugula grows happily in a garden bed or a shallow pot on a windowsill, sprouts in days, and keeps giving if you pick the outer leaves and sow a fresh row every week or two.
Care
The short version: full sun to a little afternoon shade, soil kept evenly moist, and cool weather to keep the leaves mild. Sow shallowly, pick the outer leaves often, and start a new row every week or two.
Light
Arugula likes full sun in spring and fall, when the weather is cool enough to keep it happy. Once the heat arrives, a spot with afternoon shade slows down bolting and keeps the leaves milder for longer.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist and water every 2 to 3 days in dry spells. Let it dry out and the plant gets stressed, which pushes it to bolt early and turns the leaves bitter and tough.
Soil
Plant in rich, well-drained loam with plenty of organic matter worked in. A pH between 6.0 and 7.0 suits it, and ground that holds moisture without going soggy keeps the leaves growing fast and tender.
Temperature
Arugula thrives in the cool, between about 41°F and 77°F (5°C to 25°C). It shrugs off light frost without trouble, but heat is its enemy, sending it to flower and souring the flavor.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor air suits it, somewhere around 40% to 70% humidity, so there's no number to fuss over. Steady soil moisture matters far more to arugula than the moisture in the air.
Feeding
Work a nitrogen-rich balanced fertilizer or compost into the bed at planting, and that's usually all a fast crop like this needs. Good soil to start with carries the leaves through to harvest a few weeks later.
Pruning
Pick the outer leaves often to keep new ones coming from the center. When the plant starts to bolt and throws up a flower stalk, cut your losses and harvest what's left before the flavor turns sharp.
Repotting
Arugula is grown as an annual and resown each season rather than potted up. If you grow it in a container, use one at least 4 to 6 inches deep and start fresh seed each round instead of trying to keep an old plant going.
Size & spacing
Plants stay small, running from 8 to 36 inches (20 to 91 cm) tall, with the flower stalk accounting for the upper end. Thin or space seedlings about 6 inches apart so each one has room for a full rosette of leaves.
When to plant
Arugula runs on cool weather, not the calendar's idea of summer. Direct sow it in early spring the moment the soil can be worked, then sow again in late summer for a fall crop, and you'll be cutting leaves about a month after each sowing. Skip the hottest weeks, when the plant bolts almost as soon as it's up.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 4-6 weeks before the last spring frost (optional; direct sowing preferred)
- Plant: Direct sow in early spring as soon as soil can be worked, then again in late summer for a fall crop
- Harvest: Leaves harvestable about 4-6 weeks after sowing, mainly in cool spring and fall
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 2–11
Temperature: down to -46°C
Troubleshooting
Arugula problems are few and easy to read. Bolting in the heat is the big one, with a couple of common insects rounding out the list. Match what you see below and step in early, while the leaves are still worth picking.
A flower stalk shoots up and the leaves turn sharp
This is bolting, the plant's switch from making leaves to making seed, and heat with long summer days sets it off. Once it starts, new growth comes in narrow and harshly pungent. Harvest everything usable right away, pull the bolted plant, and sow a fresh round somewhere cooler.
Fix:
- Harvest all usable leaves promptly before they turn bitter
- Pull bolted plants and start a fresh succession sowing
- Move new sowings to a cooler or partly shaded spot
Leaves peppered with tiny round holes
Those pinholes are the work of flea beetles, small dark insects that hop away the moment you brush the plant. Young seedlings take the worst of it. Cover the bed with floating row cover from the day you sow, and pick the fast-growing leaves before the damage piles up.
Fix:
- Cover plantings with floating row cover at sowing
- Harvest quickly-maturing leaves before damage accumulates
Sticky clusters of small insects on the new growth
Green or gray colonies on the leaf undersides and tender shoots mean aphids, often with a sticky film left behind. A hard spray of water knocks most of them loose, and you can pull off any leaf that's badly covered. Steady beneficial insects usually keep them in check on their own.
Fix:
- Rinse colonies off with a strong spray of water
- Remove and discard heavily infested leaves
Toxicity
Arugula is a salad green through and through, safe for people and pets alike. There are no toxic parts to worry about, so you can grow it freely around cats, dogs, rabbits, and curious children. The only thing it asks is to be eaten.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Safe around cats, with nothing in the leaves to harm them. A nibble might cause a little stomach upset, the same as any new green, but there's no real risk here.
Dogs None
No toxins, so a curious dog can sniff or chew the plant without trouble. A big mouthful of any leafy green can loosen the stomach for a bit, but that's the worst of it.
Horses Safe
Nothing in arugula poses a danger to horses. As with any rich green, it works best as a small share rather than a steady part of the feed.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can eat the leaves, and many enjoy the peppery bite. Offer it in moderation alongside their usual greens.
Livestock Safe
Goats, sheep, and cattle can graze arugula without harm. It's a wholesome leafy green that fits fine into mixed forage.
Birds Safe
Backyard hens and other birds can peck the leaves safely, and the greens add a bit of variety to their diet.
People Safe
Arugula is grown to be eaten. The leaves go straight into salads raw or wilt into cooked dishes, with no part of the plant to avoid.
Safe to grow around pets and children; the leaves are edible raw.
Varieties
Most arugula sold is plain salad rocket, but a few named selections are worth knowing for flavor and how well they hold up in heat.
Astro
A fast-maturing pick with mild flavor that holds off bolting longer than most, which makes it a forgiving choice in warmer spells.
Roquette
The standard heirloom salad rocket, with deeply lobed leaves and the strong peppery bite people picture when they think of arugula.
Wasabi
A selection bred for an unusually sharp, horseradish-like heat that stands out even among rockets.
Companions
Plant near
Bush beans: Beans fix nitrogen and their canopy shades the bed, helping cool-loving arugula stay productive and delay bolting.
Lettuce: Shares arugula's preference for cool, moist conditions and interplants well in the same cool-season bed.
Root crops (beets and carrots): Listed as compatible interplanting partners that use different soil layers, allowing efficient use of cool-season bed space.
How to propagate
Arugula is grown from seed and almost nothing else, which is part of why it's such an easy crop to keep going.
SeedEasy
Direct sow in early spring and again in late summer/fall · Germinates in about 5-7 days; seedlings established within 2-3 weeks
Arugula is almost always grown straight from seed. Scatter it shallowly right in the bed in early spring, and again in late summer for a fall crop, and the seeds break ground in about 5 to 7 days. Thin the seedlings to roughly 6 inches apart once they settle in over 2 to 3 weeks, and keep sowing a short row every week or two for leaves all season.
Myths
Arugula is naturally bitter and unpleasant to grow.
The bite comes from heat and bolting, not from the plant itself. Leaves picked young in the cool of spring or fall taste mild and nutty, a long way from the harsh greens people remember from a summer crop left too long.
Arugula is hard to grow from seed.
It's one of the easiest and fastest greens there is. Seeds sprout within days and the leaves are ready to cut in roughly 40 to 50 days, which makes it a fine first crop for a new gardener.