Growing Arugula – How to grow arugula from seed
Growing Arugula – How to grow arugula from seed
Arugula! You have heard about it. you wanted to know about it. Probably didnt get a chance. This post is just for you. So, What is Arugula and what other names does it have? Arugula is an edible plant from the Brassicaceae family. The same family to which cabbage, broccoli and radish belong. Arugula, known by the botanical name “Eruca Sativa”, has several other names to its credit. Arugula is commonly known as Salad rocket, Rucola, Rucoli, Rugula, colewort, roquette and of course Arugula. In India, Arugula is called as “Gargeer”. Now, you know “what is arugula”.
Arugula ( Eruca Sativa) is a leafy vegetable which is mainly used in salads. The salad greens are known for its pungent, peppery tasting leaves. It is an annual crop and prefers cool weather to thrive. It prefers 18-24 deg C or 65-75 deg F for optimal growing condition.
Guide to growing Arugula
Like most of its relatives of the Brassicaceae family, Arugula is grown from seeds. Planting arugula can be done either directly on the ground or using plugs. The secret to how to grow arugula successfully lies on how you enrich the soil or the potting mix in your container.
The arugula plant prefers well drained soil with consistent moisture. pH range should be kept between 6-6.5 like most other plants. Arugula loves cool weather. Temperature is something one should remember while growing arugula. Hotter the weather, the arugula plant starts to bolt and the arugula leaves start to taste bitter.
How to grow arugula from seed
From sowing to harvest, growing arugula takes 4-6 weeks. Growing arugula is real easy and it grows fast as well. Arugula can be grown directly in the ground or in containers. It is good to know how to grow arugula from seed because it is the only way to grow arugula in your garden. The seeds can be sown half centimeter deep in moist soil/potting mix.
While growing Arugula, you can sow the seeds thickly/densely and as they plants grow, you can remove the weaker ones and leave the stronger ones to grow. Do not throw the thinned seedlings. They can be used as micro greens for your salad! One of the good things about growing arugula from seed is that you can sow them in regular intervals to keep your arugula harvest coming. If you are wondering how to sow the seeds, refer to the post on How to sow seeds and Part 2
If you have a space constraint, you can also try growing arugula in a container or a pot. Small containers can also be used for growing arugula. They can also be planted along with another plant in a container since their roots are shallow.
By now, I am sure you have all the information you need on how to grow arugula from seed. So what are you waiting for? Go sow them.
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