Arugula Herb Seed

Arugula (AKA rocket, roquette, rugula and rucola) has a rich, peppery taste, and is exceptionally strongly flavoured 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.

The best time to sow arugula herb seed is from April to September (unless planting indoors) in any good fertile, well drained soil. Sow the seeds in a sunny location in succession plantings (approximately every 20 to 30 days) from early spring to fall. Sow thinly 1/4" deep maximum in drills spaced (18-24in) apart. You can sow this herb seed in the late summer as long as you can protect the plants from direct sunlight and then from freezing temperatures.

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".

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 & 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