Vegetable · Leafy green
Arugula
Eruca sativaA fast, peppery salad green that rewards succession sowing more than patience. It runs to seed the moment days get long and hot, so treat it as a quick-turnaround crop rather than a long-season one. The one rule: sow little and often rather than one big batch.
Sow depth
¼ in
Spacing
2 in · rows 8 in
Sun
Sun or part shade
Germination
5–10 days
Time to harvest
30–40 days
Difficulty
Easy
When to sow arugula
- Sow from about 3 weeks before your last expected frost until about 3 weeks before the first expected autumn frost.
Direct sow only — arugula transplants poorly and grows fast from seed.Scatter thinly along shallow drills or broadcast in a wide band.Keep the seedbed moist; it germinates within a week in cool soil.
Thin to 2 in — crowding pushes plants to bolt sooner.Water regularly; dry spells trigger flowering and a sharper bite.Shade cloth over the row in warm spells slows bolting.
Cut young leaves at 2–3 in for the mildest, most tender flavor.Harvest outer leaves first and let the center keep producing.Once flower stalks appear, pull the plant — leaves turn bitter fast.
Companion plants
Keep fromStrawberries
Quick-growing salad neighbors share the same shallow watering rhythm and get harvested before they compete for space.
Watch out for
Flea beetles — Riddle leaves with small holes in warm, dry weather. Cover with fine mesh from sowing and keep plants growing fast.