How to Grow Roquette Arugula

Arugula, also known as roquette and rocket salad, is a spicy green vegetable that sometimes grows like a weed. It grows quickly during the cooler months -- within 40 days of planting, you'll be harvesting the first leaves. It grows in a low rosette and sends up a tall flower spike when it begins to bolt to seed in warmer weather. Many people enjoy arugula raw in salads and on sandwiches, although some recipes call for cooking it.

Compost
Shovel
Rake
Water
Hoe
Fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Amend your soil with organic compost in the fall or late winter. Select an area with full sun or partial shade and then dig one part compost into four parts of soil. Mix it to a depth of at least 8 inches. Rake the surface level after you work it.
- 2
  Make shallow rows, about 1/2 inch deep, with your hoe, spacing rows 12 inches apart.
- 3
  Drop seeds into the furrows and then cover them with 1/4 inch of soil. The distance between seeds doesn't matter at this point, because you will be thinning your seedlings when they are 2 to 3 inches tall.
- 4
  Water the planted area well using a sprinkler. Allow water to run for 10 to 15 minutes. Keep the soil moist for best results.
- 5
  Thin your arugula seedlings to stand 6 inches apart when they are 2 to 3 inches tall.
- 6
  Fertilize with fish emulsion or commercial plant food designed for vegetables one month after planting seeds. Repeat feeding once each month until plants begin to send up flower stalks as the weather becomes warmer.

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