How to grow arugula

Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa · Brassicaceae · Vegetable

Arugula is a cool-season vegetable in the Brassicaceae family, almost always sown straight into the ground where it will grow. It wants full sun, though it tolerates a little afternoon shade in hot regions and steady, even moisture. From sowing to first pick is about 30–40 days. It handles frost well and a light freeze often improves the flavour.

Grower’s note: One of the fastest crops - baby leaves in about 3 weeks. Turns sharp and bitter and bolts in heat, so it is a spring/fall green. Flea beetles love it; grow under mesh.

Sowing

Sow about 0.25″ deep, into soil between 40–75°F — germination is quickest near 60°F. It comes up fast (5–7 days). It does not transplant well, so sow it in its final position rather than starting it in pots.

Spacing & layout

Give each plant about 4″ along the row with roughly 10″ between rows. On a square-foot grid that is 9 per square foot. Allow at least 8″ of loose, workable soil for the roots. It grows well in containers at least 6″ deep.

Fitting it to your season

As a cool-season crop, arugula does its best growing in the mild weather of spring and fall and tends to bolt or turn bitter in summer heat. A second sowing in late summer, timed to mature as the weather cools, is usually the better crop of the year — and light frost only sweetens it.

Quick facts

When to plant arugula

Companions

Common problems

Pests: flea beetle, aphids, cabbage worm.

Diseases & disorders: downy mildew, white rust.

Same family (Brassicaceae)

Rotate these so they don’t follow each other in the same bed year to year.

Figures are typical home-garden ranges from Cooperative Extension planting guides, cross-checked against multiple state sources. Your variety and conditions will vary.