Arugula

Grow crisp, tender, and wonderfully peppery leaves of Arugula (also widely known as Rocket or Roquette) right in your home garden. This classic Mediterranean heirloom green is an essential kitchen garden favorite, celebrated for its deeply lobed dark green leaves and bold, zesty, nutty-pepper flavor that brings instant gourmet character to fresh salads, homemade pizzas, pasta dishes, and sandwiches.

Effortlessly fast-growing and dependable, Arugula is one of the quickest crops you can grow from seed, delivering tender baby salad leaves in just 21 days and full-sized foliage in 40 days. Its compact growth habit and impressive cold tolerance make it a superstar for spring and autumn succession planting across Canadian gardens, thriving in garden beds, raised planters, and sunny patio containers.

Why Grow Arugula (Rocket)?

• Classic Mediterranean heirloom producing tender, deeply lobed dark green leaves
• Distinctive bold, zesty, and peppery-nutty flavor profile prized in gourmet cuisine
• Ultra-fast maturity—harvest baby salad greens in 21 days or mature leaves in 40 days
• High-yielding cut-and-come-again habit allows multiple harvests from a single sowing
• Outstanding cold hardiness for early spring and late autumn Canadian harvests
• Approximately 21 days (baby greens) / 40 days (full size) to maturity
• Grows best in full sun to partial shade
• Open-pollinated heirloom variety
• Approximately 100 seeds per packet

How to Grow Arugula from Seed

Direct sow arugula seeds outdoors in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked for a crisp spring crop, or sow in late summer (about 6–8 weeks before your first fall frost) for a sweet, tender autumn harvest.

Sow seeds approximately 6 mm (1/4 inch) deep and 2.5 cm (1 inch) apart in rows spaced 25–30 cm (10–12 inches) apart, or broadcast lightly in wide beds for baby leaf production. Thin seedlings to 10–15 cm (4–6 inches) apart if growing full-sized rosettes.

Select a location receiving full sun to partial shade with fertile, moist, and well-draining soil enriched with compost. Water consistently to keep soil evenly moist, which keeps leaves tender and slows premature bolting during warm spells.

Harvest outer leaves individually with scissors when they reach 7–15 cm (3–6 inches) long, leaving the central growing crown intact to regenerate fresh foliage for repeat harvests.

Growing Arugula in Canada

Arugula is ideally suited to Canadian growing conditions, germinating readily in cool spring soil and thriving throughout the crisp shoulder seasons of spring and autumn across all growing zones.

Providing light afternoon shade during midsummer heat and succession sowing every 2–3 weeks from early spring through late summer guarantees a continuous supply of fresh, peppery greens from May right through until hard frosts arrive.

For detailed instructions covering seed starting, spacing, watering, fertilizing, harvesting, and pest management, read our How To Grow Arugula in Canada | Complete Guide.

Arugula (Rocket) Growing Information

Feature	Detail
Botanical Name	Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa
Common Name	Arugula / Rocket / Roquette
Plant Type	Annual cool-season leafy salad green
Sun Requirements	Full sun to partial shade
Days to Maturity	Approximately 21 days (baby) / 40 days (full size)
Seed Count	Approximately 100 seeds
Pollination Type	Open-pollinated heirloom variety
Best Uses	Fresh gourmet salads, pizza toppings, pasta dishes, pesto, sandwiches, and container gardening

Grow Your Own Arugula (Rocket)

There is nothing quite like snipping fresh, peppery leaves of homegrown arugula just minutes before tossing a crisp salad or topping a warm flatbread. With its lightning-fast 21-day baby leaf harvest, cool-weather resilience, and bold gourmet flavor, Arugula is an indispensable staple for every Canadian kitchen garden.

Sow your seeds this season and enjoy a fast, continuous harvest of crisp salad greens!