How to Grow Roquette Lettuce Greens

Growing Roquette Lettuce

Roquette, also called Arugula, is a green vegetable like lettuce and spinach. Native to the Mediterranean and Asia, Roquette is a member of the mustard family. Like other leaf crops, growing it in cool weather is best. Use this guide on “How to Grow Roquette”, to have a great crop this year. Then, get some seeds and get growing!

The Name Game: Roquette, is known by several other names, including Rocket, Garden Rocket, Rucola, Rugola, and Rocket Salad.

Roquette is a leafy vegetable with a peppery, spicy taste. It is most commonly used for salad greens or cooked like spinach. Also, try it in soups, pasta, and pesto.

Romaine Lettuce Plant Specifications

Days to Harvest: 40 to 50 days.

Plant height: 12 to 24 inches tall. But some varieties can reach up to 40 inches tall.

Light Needs: Full sun to partial shade.

Ideal Soil pH: 6.0 – 7.0 Ideal Soil pH by vegetable.

Plant Hardiness Zones: 2 – 10

Plant Type: Annual.

Deer Resistant? Somewhat.

Native to: Asia and the Mediterranean region.

Botanical Name: Eruca versicaria subsp. sativa

Nutrition Facts

100 grams of shredded Roquette lettuce greens contains approximately:

37 calories
4 g carbs
0 cholesterol
0 g fat
2 g fiber
2 g protein
30 mg sodium

Light Requirements

Roquette lettuce plants grow best when planted in a location where they receive at least five to six hours or more of direct sunlight. They benefit from a little partial shade during the hot midday period.

This is a cool-weather plant. In warm areas of the county, grow them in partial shade. While this is not optimum for plant production, it helps to avoid wilting, bolting and sun scald.

Sowing Roquette Seeds

Roquette is grown from seed. Directly sow the seeds in your vegetable garden early in the season. Then, cover the seeds lightly with 1/8″ or less of fine garden or seed starting soil. Seeds will sprout in 3-10 days. Seeds sprout in cool soil at 40 to 55 degrees.

Final Spacing: After seedlings have sprouted, thin to two inches apart in rows 12″ – 18″ apart.

How to Grow Roquette Lettuce Plants

Roquette plants are easy to grow. It likes full sun but will tolerate partial shade.

For best results, grow Roquette quickly during cool weather, in moist, fertile soil. It gets the name “Rocket” for its speedy growth under these conditions.

The soil should be rich and drain well. Mix compost into the soil, before planting.

Add fertilizer when planting. Then, re-apply fertilizer two weeks after the plants have spouted.

Weed around plants frequently.

Plants thrive in cool weather. Plant crops for spring and fall. For a continuous harvest during this period, plant succession crops.

Also see:

Plant Problems

Soil Temperatures

Ideal Soil pH

Insects and Plant Disease

Insect and disease problems are uncommon with this plant.

Harvesting Roquette Lettuce

Days to Harvest: About 40 to 50 days.

Thinning lettuce? Use the thinned plants in your salad! If you just can’t wait for some fresh, homegrown Roquette lettuce, harvest the outer leaves as soon as they are big enough to use on a sandwich or in a salad. As you thin the rows, use culled plants.