Rocket
Also called Arugula, Salad rocket.
| Light | part shade |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 2 days in the growing season, every 7 in winter |
| Humidity | medium |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Height | Up to 25 cm (10 in) tall |
| Pets | Cats not known, dogs not known |
Pet safety not established for this species.
Edible here means commonly eaten. Nothing on this site is medical or dietary advice.
Rocket is the quickest crop in the journal, cuttable four weeks after sowing and happy in a window box. Its character changes with the weather: grown cool and moist it is nutty and mild, grown hot and dry it is fierce enough to be unpleasant. That is worth knowing before blaming the seed. Sow thinly in short rows every fortnight and cut with scissors an inch above the crown, and one sowing will give three cuts before it runs. Flea beetle is the only real problem, and fine mesh over the row solves it completely. Let the last sowing of the season flower: the cream flowers are edible, the bees use them, and the seed comes back the following year on its own.
Ailments observed
| Holes chewed in the leaves | Flea beetle, which peppers the leaves with small round holes. Grow it under fine mesh, keep the soil moist, and sow in the cooler months when the beetles are less active. |
|---|---|
| Flowering at the wrong time, or bolting | Heat and dry soil. Sow every fortnight, cut it young, and let the last sowing flower for the bees and the seed. |
Filed underPlants that forgive a beginner, Plants for a balcony or a small space
Neighbouring entries
Tomato
Solanum lycopersicumTomato growing from sowing to picking, with when to start seed in each hemisphere, how much water a fruiting plant needs, and what splits the fruit.
African violet
Streptocarpus ionanthusAfrican violet care that keeps it flowering all year, with why you water from below, what makes the pale rings on the leaves, and how to root a single leaf.
Aloe vera
Aloe veraAloe vera care on a bright windowsill, with the soak and dry watering it needs, why leaves flatten or curl, and how to pot up the offsets.