How to Grow Arugula Lettuce Greens

Tree Branch

Growing Arugula or Roquette Lettuce

Arugula, also called Roquette, is a leafy 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 Arugula in cool weather is best. Use this guide on “How to Grow Arugula”, to have a great crop this year. Then, get some arugula seeds and get growing!

 The Name Game: Arugula, or 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.

Sowing Roquette or Arugula Seeds

Arugula or Roquette is grown from seed. Directly sow Roquette seeds in your vegetable garden early in the season. Cover 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 Aruguala Lettuce Plants

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

For best results, grow Arugula or 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.

Ideal Soil pH: 6.0 – 7.0

Also, see:

Plant Problems

Soil Temperatures

Ideal Soil pH 

Insects and Plant Disease

 Insect and disease problems are uncommon with this plant.

Harvesting Arugula Greens

Days to Harvest: About 40 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.

Plant Hardiness

Arugula is a hardy plant that withstands light frosts.

Arugula Recipes

May we suggest:

Arugula with Nutmeg

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

    Please support our site. Shop for:

    Scroll to top