Greens & herbs
Arugula
Fast succession.
- Outside
- Direct Apr and Sep, sown thick
- Where
- Any gap: raised bed or in ground
- Sun
- Full sun in the cool months
- Water
- Light and often; keep the top inch damp
- Harvest
- May to Jun, then Oct to Nov
Care
- Water
- Little and often, just enough to keep the top inch damp; the shallow roots dry out fast, so this is one of the small, quick crops that wants steady even moisture, not the deep-and-dry swing. Let it go thirsty and the leaves toughen and turn sharp, and a dry, hot week sends it straight to bolt.
- Sow
- Scatter seed a quarter inch deep and about an inch apart, thinning to 6 with the pulls going into the salad. Resow every 2 to 3 weeks; the April and September rounds beat the summer ones.
- Feed
- It grows so fast it barely needs feeding; a little compost or castings in the bed at sowing does it. A light fish and seaweed drink can speed a spring cutting along, but skip the heavy nitrogen when you are picking in a month.
- Ready
- Cut it young, around a month from sowing, when the leaves are small and mild. Shear the whole patch an inch high and it flushes again; expect a couple of rounds before heat turns it fierce.
- Trouble
- Tiny shotholes across the leaves: flea beetles, worst on seedlings; float a row cover from day one and leave it on, since you are picking leaves, not flowers. Bolting: heat and dry soil both trigger it, so favor the spring and fall windows.
In a bag?
- Yes
- Up to a 2–3 gal bag.
- Water
- A shallow bag or spent container dries fast, so keep the top inch damp, which can mean daily in warm weather. A quick 15 to 20 sec on the shower dial.
- Sow
- Broadcast thick across the top of any spent 2 to 3 gallon bag, thinning with scissors and eating the pulls.
Arugula runs in the cool margins, sown in April and September, cut at a month old, and cleared before real heat or real cold. Summer sowings just bolt and burn, so it keeps to the shoulder seasons.
Growing
Broadcast seed thick in April, start cutting at four weeks, and take two or three harvests before June warmth turns the flavor from peppery to punishing. The September sowing is the better one, milder and slower, holding into November. Any gap in a bed or the top of a spent bag will do; arugula has no standards about real estate. Frequent light watering keeps the bite at salad strength; a dry week pushes it toward horseradish territory.
Varieties
Astro is fast and comparatively gentle; Sylvetta, the wild type, is slower, spicier, and stands longer before bolting.
Pests
Flea beetles are the one real enemy, lacing spring leaves with pinholes; netting from the day of sowing keeps them off, and the fall round mostly misses the pressure anyway.
In the kitchen
Dressed with lemon, oil, and shaved parmesan, it is a salad with nothing missing. The last peppery cuttings wilt onto pizza straight out of the oven.