ARUGULA GROW GUIDE

When to Plant

Plant seeds outdoors in spring as soon as the soil can be worked. Make additional plantings every three weeks as long as the cool weather lasts. For winter harvests, sow seeds in mid-fall.

How to Plant

Dig a shallow trench with the tip of your garden spade to mark the row where you would like to plant the arugula. Sprinkle the seeds from the packet into the trench trying to space the seedlings out by somewhere between 1/4" and 1". If you want to harvest full sized leaves, increase the spacing, or thin the plants out once they are established. Plant in rows approximately 6 inches apart. Cover lightly with soil, the arugula seeds need light to germinate. If they are deeply buried, they will not germinate.

When to Harvest

Arugula leaves can be harvested once they are about 2-3 inches long, which can be as soon as 2-3 weeks after the plants germinate under ideal conditions. Cut individual leaves or pull up whole plants. The leaves are best when young, but they retain good flavor until the plant starts to bolt. The flowers are also edible. If the plant does bolt, you can throw some of the flowers in with your salad greens. Once the flowers are set, the leaves will start to taste more bitter.