Arugula Plant Profile

Arugula Plant Profile

Arugula (Eruca vesicaria) is a cool-season edible plant that has a nutty and peppery zing. It is a great addition to salads, on pizza, in sandwiches, or in pasta dishes.

It is also known as Rocket or Colewort. It grows best when planted in the early spring and late summer into fall. Pick a location for them in full sun to part-shade.

Plant the seeds a quarter inch deep in rich garden soil that is free of weeds or in a large container. The seeds germinate in a week or so. Water them regularly, if they do not receive an inch or two of rain per week.

After the seedlings are a couple weeks old, you can thin them by snipping out the smaller and weaker ones or gently pulling them out so as not to disturb the roots of the remaining seedlings. The seedlings you removed can be eaten as you would any microgreen.

You can harvest the leaves at any stage and keep coming back to harvest more throughout the season. Snip off the biggest, outer leaves and let the younger, inner leaves keep growing. Do not cut the leaves lower than 2 inches from the base of the plant or they may not regenerate for you.

Once the weather starts to get hot in our region, usually by early June, the arugula plants will bolt – sending up a flower stem and then set seed. Arugula leaves are usually too bitter to eat at this point.  Collect these seeds for sowing in the fall and you can also eat the seeds adding them to stews and bean dishes.

Flea beetles will chew holes in the arugula leaves, so cover them with a garden fabric in spring to prevent the beetles from doing so. You can also use the cover cloth for the fall crop of arugula as extra insulation against mild frosts.

Arugula: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Audio and text by Kathy Jentz

Video and editing by Christine Folivi

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 If you liked this video, you may also enjoy these:

~ Cutting Lettuce https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/10/cutting-lettuce-plant-profile.html

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~ Chamomile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/06/chamomile-plant-profile.html

~ Bronze Fennel https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/07/bronze-fennel-plant-profile.html

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Fenton Friday: Italian Arugula vs. Heirloom Rustic Arugula

By Allison O'Reilly

This semester, I grew two different types of arugula in our community garden plot. Both of my arugula plants were successful, but the Italian Arugula grew to be more lush, sooner than the Heirloom Rustic Arugula. The weather has been unpredictable and all over the place since I planted my arugula seeds. I was definitely worried the harsh winds, storms, frosts, snowfalls, and random temperature spikes would harm or kill my arugula. But, the plants prevailed, I only had to re-seed once and I ended up with plenty of arugula to munch on.

I ate the Italian Arugula with Kathy and Kelly in a spinach-arugula salad last week. The salad had a sweet dressing and dried cranberries, so the peppery arugula made a nice added kick to it.

In order to compare the flavors of the two types of arugula, I chose to sauté them with bell peppers and zucchini. The two types tasted very similar, if not identical, in this format. The Heirloom Rustic Arugula has a weaker hint of pepper and the Italian Arugula had more of a bitter aftertaste, but other than that there were no noticeable differences.

I enjoyed eating the sautéed arugula more than the raw arugula. Arugula is a strong salad green and I found it to be a bit too harsh in the sweet salad. Sautéing the arugula heightened the flavor, and introducing warmth to the leaves made them gentler to eat.

How is your vegetable garden growing this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 6th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

About the Author:Allison O’Reilly is originally from Winston-Salem, NC, and is a sophomore majoring in journalism as well as government and politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. This spring semester, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener.

Fenton Friday: Salad Days!

Today at the community garden plot, we harvested lots of Spinach and Arugula. Then we made a big salad for lunch. This serves 2 people if it is a main dish or 4-6 people as a side dish. Here is the recipe we used:

Salad ingredients:

• 5-10 ounces arugula (homegrown or organic, when possible)

• 5-10 ounces young spinach leaves (homegrown or organic, when possible)

• 2 small apples - cored and cut into small cubes

• bleu cheese (or goat cheese) crumbles

• 2 Tbsp dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup raw pecans or walnuts - chopped

Dressing ingredients:

• 1 large lemon, juiced ( about 3 Tbsp)

• 3 Tbsp local honey

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Clean and dry the salad greens. Prep the other salad ingredients. Then mix the dressing in a mason jar. Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour on dressing and mix well. Enjoy!

Adapted from: https://minimalistbaker.com/apple-pecan-arugula-salad/

We also harvested Cilantro and my little kitty, Versace, snarfed up the piece I gave him. He loves the stuff.

This was a very wet week for us, so we weeded a bit and I also grabbed a handful of Asparagus. In the rest of the plot, the Garlic and Strawberries actually seem a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. The Lettuce mix and Carrot seedlings are finally popping up. Radishes, Peas, and Cauliflower are coming along nicely.

I hope to be able to plant my annual cutting flowers in the next week or so.

How is your vegetable garden growing this week?

About Fenton Friday: 
Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 6th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)\

Fenton Friday: Seedlings UP

Arugula

Peas

This week's weather started with snow flurries and freezing winds and ends with summertime temps and searing sun. At my community garden plot, we have several things coming up from seed and we threw a cover cloth over them last week - first to insulate them from the cold and now from the heat!

The seedlings that are up already seem okay. The lettuce and carrots have not germinated yet, I am wondering if I should wait or put out a new batch of each.

How is your vegetable garden growing this week?

About Fenton Friday: 

Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 6th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)

Spinach

Radish

Sunday Savory: Arugula Pesto

Guest post by Shelby Smith

   Arugula is fresh green that can continue to grow into the month of December here in the Mid-Atlantic. It will continue growing in your garden until a really bad frost. Try making pesto with Arugula rather than Basil. It is fresh, creamy, and has a subtle peppery flavor. 

Ingredients

• A hand full of fresh Arugula, rinsed.
• 4-6 tbsp. of olive oil.
• 3 cloves of garlic.
• 2 tbsp. of Parmesan cheese.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

1. In a food processor or blender blend the arugula, garlic, and cheese.
2. Slowly drizzle in the oil as the blend is running until pesto is smooth and garlic is minced.
3. Add salt and pepper for taste.

Traditional pesto has toasted pine nuts added to it and you can add that to this pesto with you would like a nutty and toasted flavor. You can serve this over any type of pasta, drizzle it over a tomato and mozzarella salad, or spread it on a pizza. If any leftover, you can store this in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

"Savory Sunday" is a new weekly blog series with seasonal recipes from the garden.

About the Author:

Shelby Smith is a senior double major in multi-platform journalism and film studies at the University of Maryland College Park. She was a sports copy-editor for a campus publication called Unwind Magazine and a writer at The Campus Current newspaper at Anne Arundel Community College. 

Savory Sunday: Arugula Salad with Tomato and Avocado

Guest post by Shelby Smith

Want to add a fresh and different flavor to your salad? Arugula can be used as an easy garnish, replacement for lettuce in any sandwich, or the base for any salad. Fresh arugula is buttery, but also has a peppery flavor. They have a look and texture similar to spinach.

      Arugula salad with tomato and avocado is quick, easy, and healthy. This is a great salad that can be put together quickly, have anything added to it, and be a nice change from a traditional Caesar or chef salad. You could even take this recipe and put it inside a bacon sandwich as a different take on a BLT.

            I grew the arugula myself in the Fenton Community Garden as part of my internship.

Ingredients

·         2 cups or a large handful of fresh arugula.

·         1 ½ cups of chopped romaine lettuce.

·         1 avocado peeled and cubed.

·         1 medium tomato cubed.

·         ¼ cup shredded parmesan.

·         1/3 cup of balsamic vinaigrette, fresh or store bought.

Directions

·         Slice and cube the lettuce, tomato, and avocado.

·         Toss the salad with parmesan cheese in a large bowl.

·         Either drizzle with vinaigrette or serve on the side.

Your salad should be cool, crisp, and refreshing. If you are going to store the salad in the refrigerator for more than a half hour, cut the avocado and mix in the dressing right before serving it to avoid brown avocados and wilted greens.

Any kind of cheese can be added to this or you can add dried cranberries and walnuts for a more crunchy and chewy texture. This would be a great side for the mushroom and spinach quiche, see that recipe here.

Optional Vinaigrette Recipe

·         In a bowl or Mason jar, mix together a ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar, ¾ cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, pepper, and thyme plus 1 teaspoon of sugar.

·         Shake well when ready to use.

·         Use the mason jar as easy storage.

"Savory Sunday" is a new weekly blog series with seasonal recipes from the garden.

About the Author:

Shelby Smith is a senior double major in multi-platform journalism and film studies at the University of Maryland College Park. She was a sports copy-editor for a campus publication called Unwind Magazine and a writer at The Campus Current newspaper at Anne Arundel Community College. 

Arugula: You Can Grow That!

Guest Blog by Joelle Lang

On September 3, the first day of my internship with the Washington Gardener Magazine, I was confronted with a difficult decision — what did I want to grow? As part of my internship, I was to plant something and monitor its growth over the course of the semester. While I can’t remember what my options of seeds were that day, I do remember that I chose to plant arugula because I use it at least four times a week in salads and was excited to be eating something I planted from scratch.

I planted the arugula seeds that day in editor Kathy Jentz’s community garden plot in the ground and in a raised pot. I planted two longs rows in both spots, sprinkling the seeds up and down, covering them with some soil, watering them with a little bit of water and hoping for the best. 

I checked on the seeds one week later on October 7 and was extremely happy to see that they actually began to sprout. The plant grew faster in the ground than in the pot. I held off on cutting them just yet, so they could grow a bit taller.

The next time I checked them on October 19, I was pleased again at the rate of their growth. Once again, I held off on cutting the plant, but I did nibble on some leaves and it was delicious!

I was finally able to cut leaves from my plants on November 2 because of the rapid rate at which it was growing. I did note that the container plants grew at a slower pace than the ones in planted directly in the soil. I made myself an amazing arugula salad for dinner and bragged about my green thumb to my friends and family.

I came back to cut the plants one week later and the plants in the soil had re-grown to an impressive height! I cut those down and enjoyed another salad and bragging session. However, the container-grown arugula continued to lag slightly behind.

I returned to my plants on November 18 to find that the container plants began to sprout dark purple leaves and tasted a little peppery.

After experiencing some rain and gloomy weather, I checked my plant again on December 14 for the last time and saw that the in-ground plants grew enough to make another nice salad and the container plant had also filled in — though they grew more slowly and showed purple and red leaves. I cut both sets of plants back and said a tearful goodbye. I will definitely plant arugula in the future because of how simple it was to care for and how leaves sprouted and re-grew so quickly.

About the Author 

Joelle Lang, a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park, is a multi-platform journalism student in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. This past autumn, she was also an editorial intern for Washington Gardener Magazine.

All who are involved with You Can Grow That! (YCGT!) believe that plants and gardening enhance our quality of life. We want people to be successful with what they grow and to become more aware of the many gifts that horticulture brings. Find out more at http://www.youcangrowthat.com/.

Fenton Friday: Arugula Seedlings Up

The Arugula seeds we planted are all coming up now. I tasted one tiny seedling and it was very nice. I will give it another week or so until thinning them to take more for eating.


Our big community garden clean-up session is tomorrow and I hope to get most of my plot cleared up -- especially the tomato vines are we are due to be hit by a frost/freeze this weekend.


Our cistern is also closing up for the season this week, so in order to have any nearby water for my cool-season edibles, I will be bring in over 20+ kitty litter containers that I have saved up for this purpose. We will drain the cistern into them and line them up for communal use,



 How is your edible garden growing this week?

About Fenton Friday:
Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 4th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) 

Fenton Friday: Seedlings Up!

Arugula seedlings

This week at my community garden plot we had several days of rain and wind, so it was hard to get over and do too much. We are still awaiting our compost and mulch delivery so we can re-do our common pathways and add leaf compost to the raised beds, so I'm keeping the straw cover in place for now.

Most of the seeds I planted last week are now up including arugula and radish. I'm also seeing a hint of the carrots.

The pea seedlings are coming along nicely and are starting to form tendrils and reach out for their supports.

I was able to harvest another couple handfuls of asparagus spears as well.

Pea seedlings

Surprisingly, the kale from last fall has started to bolt (set flower). It has not been that warm or sunny, so I'm not sure what sparked that off.

I hope to get over this coming week and start thinning out the seedlings and maybe seed some annual flowers in also.

What is growing in YOUR edible garden now?

Bolted kale

Asparagus spears in strawberry patch

About Fenton Friday:
Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 4th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)

Fenton Friday: The Bolted Blues

I knew I jinxed myself by talking about how much I love Arugula in my weekly community garden plot posting here last week! It bolted the next day and is now firey and sharp as hot pepper. I guess that is why they call it "rocket!" I should pull it all and compost it, but I don't have the heart yet. May let it go to seed and collect those to try again in the fall.

Elsewhere in my plot, the SugarSnap Peas appeared literally overnight! One day I had a few spindly vines, the next I had pea pods and nice-sized ones at that. I did not plant half as many vines as I did in the last few years so will just have a handful to add to my salad each day, unlike the quarts of them I am used to getting. This is good though as I'm so busy planting other things and harvesting strawberries, salad greens, broccoli, and herbs, that any more peas would be wasted.

I checked on my Turnips by pulling one out. It is still baby-sized. I took it home and cleaned it and shaved it to taste it. It was awful! Baby turnips are not like baby carrots or greens in that respect. Anyone grow turnips? This is my first time. When are they really ready to eat?





BTW, you'll find me at the Washington Gardener Magazine table tomorrow at Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD, from 9am-3pm for their annual Garden Party. It is to benefit the Friends of Brookside Gardens and is a wonderful event for local gardeners to learn about local garden clubs, participate in a plant swap, enter the raffle, attend garden talks, and much more. I hope to see many of you there!