Latin name: Eruca sativa
🌱 Days to Sprout: 4-21
😋 Plant food: after true leaves
✂️ No thinning
🍅 Days to Maturity: 30-40
💡 Light Zone: Minimum
📏 Plant Size: 1 ft
💚 Care Level: Beginner
Origin
Native to the Mediterranean, arugula has been cultivated for centuries and was first used by ancient Egyptians and Romans. Before it became a popular salad green, arugula was thought to be an aphrodisiac and was combined with lavender and other aromatic herbs to create “love potions”.
Qualities
Also called roquette, salad rocket, garden rocket, or rugula, this leafy green superfod has a sweet, nutty flavor when picked young that becomes more peppery and eventually bitter as the leaves grow larger. Like most dark leafy greens, arugula is high in a variety of nutrients including vitamins A, C, and K, as well as calcium, potassium, folate, and iron.
Use
Arugula is a very versatile green, fresh or cooked. It's great as a base in a mixed salad, in sandwiches, and as a topping on pizzas or omelets. Add it fresh on top of the dish when ready to serve.
Care & Harvest
💡Temperature: Prefers cooler temperatures (60-70°F). If placed in higher temperatures, it will turn bitter and bolt.
✂️ Pruning: Check the roots monthly and trim any that are brown or extending past the yPod. To delay bolting, cut yellow-flowering stems as they appear.
🔎 Plant Health: Aphids are a common pest, but you can use our prevention and treatment tricks to keep pests at bay!
🥬 Harvest: Arugula does best and avoids bitterness when harvested all at once. Once the outer leaves of the plant reach 2-3 inches tall, harvest all of the leaves by cutting at their bases. For ongoing harvest, snip the outer leaves just above the base of the plant once they reach 2-3 inches tall to let the inner leaves continue to grow. Larger leaves have a spicier, more bitter flavor. Don't cut more than 1/3 of the plant if you want it to keep growing.
Harvest to Plate Recipe
Sippin' Green Gazpacho
Photo / Recipe Source: Bon Appetit
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped arugula
- 2 pounds of seedless or hothouse cucumbers (about 2 large), chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 cups chopped mixed tender herbs (such as Basil, Parsley, Cilantro, and/or Mint)
- 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
- Kosher salt
- ¾ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Add cucumbers, garlic, and half cup of water in a blender and mix until smooth.
- Put in Arugula, herbs, vinegar, and a large pinch of salt and purée, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed, until very smooth.
- With the blender on, slowly stream in oil; blend until emulsified. (The mixture will turn pale green and look creamy, almost like a salad dressing; add more oil and/or water if needed.)
- Taste gazpacho and season with more salt and vinegar as desired—you want it to be borderline too salty and acidic at room temperature.
- Transfer gazpacho to an airtight container; cover and chill until very cold, 4–12 hours.
- Taste gazpacho and adjust with a little more salt and/or vinegar as needed just before pouring into chilled glasses.
Our Plant Health & Nutrition Team thoroughly tests each variety we offer to bring you the most flavorful and high-quality plants. We regularly rotate our plant portfolio, so please note, availability varies.