Sylvetta Wild Arugula Seed

Scientific name

Diplotaxis tenuifolia

Growing conditions

Arugula likes fertile, well-drained soil at pH 6.0–6.8, in full sun or light shade. It can be grown in the field all season, and most varieties are hardy enough for unheated greenhouses and high tunnels through winter when sown in late summer or early fall.

Days to maturity

Counted from emergence after direct sowing. Seedlings usually appear in 5–7 days.

Direct sowing

From early spring onward, sow about 5 seeds per inch, 1/8" deep, in rows at least 2" apart.

Seeding rate

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

Succession planting

Sow every 2 weeks or so for a constant supply, stopping 2–3 weeks before the first fall frost.

Insect pests

Cover the bed with floating row cover on the day you sow to keep flea beetles off.

Disease

Rotation and good field sanitation keep disease in check.

Harvest

Cut leaves with a knife at 3–6", about an inch above the soil and above the base of the plant so it regrows cleanly. Cut again once the regrowth is big enough, 5–14 days later depending on the variety. Leaves are still usable after the plants bloom, though stronger in flavor, and the flowers are edible too.

Seeds per oz.

Salad types average about 15,400 seeds per oz. (sows about 500 ft.); wild types about 100,700 per oz. (sows about 2,100 ft.).

Packet

500 seeds.

Seeds per oz.

About 109,450 on average.