🌱 Sowing & planting
Arugula ( Eruca sativa ) is a fast-growing leafy vegetable from the cruciferous family. You can sow almost all year round and harvest multiple times from the same plants.
- Sowing depth: approximately 1 cm.
- Sowing method: sow in 5 cm seed trays or directly in the open ground.
- Sowing distance (direct): approximately 10 cm between the seeds and 15 cm between the rows.
- Germination temperature: around 10 °C.
- Germination time: 🕒 10–21 days.
- Planting distance (planting out): 5 cm between plants, 20 cm between rows.
- Plant out: when the young plants have 2 true leaves.
- Growth cycle: approximately 65 days to full harvest, but young leaves are often harvested much earlier.
📅 Growing times throughout the year
- Normal cultivation (outdoors): Sow outdoors from March to September; harvest from mid-April to mid-November.
- Winter cultivation (under glass): sow under glass from August to mid-September; harvest from November to February.
Popular arugula varieties
You can choose between annual and perennial arugula:
- Annual: Common arugula and Common arugula organic.
- Perennial: Wild Selvatica and Wild Selvatica BIO.
Here in Bloggle you can add a product gallery with arugula seeds from your online store.
Basic information about arugula ( Eruca sativa )
- Crop group: leafy vegetables.
- Crop family: Cruciferous family.
- Height: approximately 30 cm.
- Root system: 15–20 cm deep.
- Growth cycle: 🕒 approximately 65 days, but you can often harvest young leaves much earlier.
- Frost resistance: no – arugula can tolerate light cold, but is not really frost hardy.
- Fertilization: arugula needs little fertilizer; a basic dose compost is usually sufficient.
- Soil: pH between 6.0 and 6.8, light to moderately nutritious soil.
Location & water requirements
- Sun: 🌤️ Partial shade to moderate sun. Arugula often grows best in midsummer. in a spot with some shade during the hottest hours of the day.
- Water requirements: 💧💧 water regularly; the soil should not dry out, otherwise the arugula quickly becomes sharp and bolts.
Companion vegetables
✅ Good neighbors
- Marigold
- Cabbage varieties
❌ Bad neighbors
- No known particularly bad neighbours.
Dangers & Concerns
Arugula is a fairly strong crop and has few diseases, especially due to its short growing period. However, there are some points to consider:
- Snails – like to feed on young leaves.
- Aphids – especially in dense cultivation and in sheltered conditions.
- Flea beetles – tiny beetles that eat holes in young leaves.
- Indoor mold – in overly damp and poorly ventilated conditions.
🧺 Harvesting & storing
When the plants are 5–10 cm high, you can cut back the leaves with scissors to the bottom. The arugula will then sprout again and you can usually do this up to three times. harvest from the same plants.
Arugula is best stored for a short time in the refrigerator, but ideally it is harvested just before use. If you want to harvest for a long time, sow small quantities regularly.
