key growing information

Growing Arugula (Roquette) From Seed

How to grow arugula (rocket) for salad: sowing depth and rate, succession planting, flea beetle protection, and cut-and-come-again harvesting for salad and wild types.

By Hensley’s Seed Co. September 3, 2026

Arugula - Key Growing Information

A patch of arugula from above, showing the three-dimensional, rounded-oakleaf shape of the leaves.

SCIENTIFIC NAME:

Eruca sativa, Diplotaxis spp.

CULTURE:

Grow arugula in fertile soil that drains well, pH 6.0–6.8, in full sun or light shade. It can be sown through the whole field season, and most varieties are cold-tolerant enough for winter production in unheated greenhouses and high tunnels when sown in late summer or early fall.

DAYS TO MATURITY:

Counted from emergence of direct-sown seed. Seed generally sprouts in 5–7 days.

DIRECT SEEDING:

Starting in early spring, plant 1/8" deep at about 5 seeds per inch, in rows spaced 2" or more apart.

AVG. DIRECT SEEDING RATE:

Salad types: about 500' per oz., 8,000' per lb. Wild types: about 2,100' per oz., 34,240' per lb.

SUCCESSION PLANTING:

Sow roughly every two weeks for a steady supply, stopping 2–3 weeks before your first expected frost.

INSECT PESTS:

To keep flea beetles off, cover the bed with floating row covers right after sowing. DISEASE: Rotating crops and keeping beds clean prevent most disease.

HARVEST:

Cut leaves with a knife once they are about 3–6" long, roughly an inch above the soil and above the basal plate so plants regrow cleanly. A second cutting is usually ready in 5–14 days, depending on variety. Leaves remain usable after plants bolt, though the flavor grows hotter, and the flowers are edible too. SEEDS/OZ.: Salad types average 15,400 seeds per oz. (sows about 500'). Wild types average 100,700 seeds per oz. (sows about 2,100').

PACKET:

500 seeds per packet; wild types sow about 10', salad types about 16'.