Herb Specifications
- Season: Annual
- USDA Zones: 3 - 9
- Height: 4 - 10
- Bloom Season: Spring and summer
- Bloom Color: White
- Environment: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Evenly moist, pH 6 - 6.8
Planting Directions
- Temperature: 45 - 70F
- Average Germ Time: 5 - 10 days
- Light Required: Yes
- Depth: 1/4 inch
- Sowing Rate: 1 seed per inch
- Moisture: Keep moist until germination
- Plant Spacing: Rows 8 - 10 inches a part
Arugula (Eruca Sativa) - Arugula (AKA rocket, roquette, rugula and rucola) has a rich, peppery taste, and is exceptionally strongly flavored for a leafy green. This herb is generally used raw in salads, but also cooked as a vegetable with pastas or meats for a delicious taste like spinach. Four-petaled, white, purple-veined flowers top its flower stalks. Sow Arugula seeds and enjoy a harvest 40 days later!
Arugula performs best in spring to early summer. After that time, plant it under the shade of an airy tree (not dense shade), or under shade cloth. It is not fussy at all, although too much drought and summer heat will cause the leaves to be smaller and more peppery.
Sow Arugula seeds directly outdoors. These herb seeds germinate quickly even in cold soil, so sow Arugula seed as soon as soil can be worked in spring. After the seedlings are large enough to handle, you will want to thin them out to 9 - 12 inches apart. To harvest simply pick the young leaves and the plant will keep generating new ones for months. Older leaves are a bit tougher and hotter. The flowers are small, white with dark centers and can be used in the salad for a light piquant flavor.
As the flower buds appear pinch them out to prolong growing season. Arugula herbs are very low in calories (only about 2 calories per 1/2 cup) and very high in Vitamins A and C. To store Arugula rinse the leaves in cool water and dry on paper toweling. Wrap leaves tightly in plastic or a zip lock bag. Best if used within two days.
Approximate Arugula Herb Seeds Per Ounce: 14,000
