Arugula The Cheerful
By Andrea Peck
Arugula (Eruca sativa) goes by many names: rocket, rucola, rucoli, rugula, colewort, roquette. All good names for a wild, easy-to-grow salad green. In my yard it self-sows to the point that I have not needed to purchase seed in a few years. The weird thing is that restaurants make it out as so fancy. Mostly it is just expensive.
Arugula is part of the Brassicaceae family, the same as kale, cabbage and broccoli, so it too packs a wallop when it comes to vitamins and phytonutrients. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather eat arugula than kale. With its slightly spicy, peppery taste you are bound to crave a salad. And there really is no excuse if it grows like a weed just outside your back door.
Growing arugula is pretty straightforward. Plant at the beginning of spring if you live inland; if you are on the coast you can probably make a stab at growing it year round. Arugula can handle a bit of frost. As a cool season crop, it will bolt more quickly in warm weather—one way to deal with this is to keep the soil evenly moist. This plant adapts to a variety of soils, but like most vegetables, prefers well-composted soil with good drainage. Keep the pH around 6.0-6.8 for best results. It grows in sun and part shade. The flowers are edible, but make sure to leave a few to keep the progeny going.
Once you've got your hands on a seed packet, broadcast seed or plant it in ¼” deep rows. These greens like to get cozy, so you only need rows to be 4-5” apart. Soil temperature should hover around 40°F and 55°F in order for germination to take place. A little arugula should poke a bit of greenery up in 7-10 days. The most useful way to handle this plant is to pick leaves as needed and then let it flower and go to seed. Arugula spreads easily in a non-invasive sort of way.
Arugula that flowers is very pretty in the garden. Flowers are small and pinkish; the plant itself may reach heights of up to 2'—they sway in the garden and generally look cheery. Pests such as flea beetles will visit arugula from time to time, but generally this leafy beauty is able to grow unfettered by pest and disease alike.
It's such a likeable plant that I suppose you could keep it as an ornamental, but then that would be a waste of a good salad!