Growing Arugula | Central Texas Gardening
Astro arugula is quick to grow and packed with a flavor punch!
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Growing arugula from seed
Eruca vesicaria, commonly known as Arugula, originated in the Mediterranean and is a member of the Brassica (Mustard) family. If you know me, you know arugula is one of my favorite staple veggies in the garden. Like spinach, but with a peppery bold bite, I add this leafy green in a TON of dishes in the kitchen. From casseroles, to stir fry’s, to omelets, arugula is quite a diverse green!
Keep reading to discover how this cool season vegetable is a rock star in Central Texas gardens..
Roquette “Rocket” Arugula
WHEN TO PLANT ARUGULA
Growing arugula in Central Texas is one of the most rewarding experiences in the garden. Even though it’s listed as a cool season veg, you can successfully grow this leafy green almost year-round in zone 8b.
If you want a more formal way of determining a good planting date, find your last frost date (March 1 in Austin, TX) and now subtract 70 days to start indoors or 30-60 days to direct sow. I usually start my arugula directly in the garden between the dates of January 4th and February 1st. After this initial planting feel free to successively sow the seeds every few weeks (as long as temperatures have not exceeded 90°).
GROWING ARUGULA IN THE PROPER LOCATION
It’s really not hard to grow arugula. It’s tolerant of most soils, fast to produce and is perfect in a small space. It can even take up to only 4 hours of light each day; therefore, making it a wonderful understory brassica plant. When tightly interplanted, it can also help with pest control and protect the soil from drying out. Aim for 4-6+ hours of light a day.
For ease, make sure you have a water source nearby and keep the soil moist but not drenched.
HOW TO PLANT ARUGULA | SEED TO HARVEST
Arugula seeds resemble Kale seeds which are tiny! You can plant up to 9-16 plants within a square foot. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with planning out your vegetable placement sign up for our mailing list to receive your FREE guide, Dividing Your 4x4 Plot.
Sow a few seeds in a hole ¼” deep, spaced 1” apart. Feel free to thin out the arugula seedlings for more space and eat the microgreens as it grows. You should be ready to harvest baby arugula in as little as 20 days.
Arugula Microgreens After Thinning in the Garden
HARVESTING ARUGULA
You can begin harvesting arugula up to 3 weeks after planting as long as the leaves are at least 6” long. This also might depend on the variety you chose so make sure to research which variety you plant.
TWO METHODS FOR HARVESTING ARUGULA
One leaf at a time: This method is a cut-and-come-again method which offers you arugula on-demand. I tend to harvest all my greens in this way unless I’m featuring a dish which solely features arugula.
How do I cut and not kill the plant? I follow the golden rule of thinning to not take more than one third so the remaining plant continues to produce. Work from the outside of the plant and take the larger more mature leaves. Use shears and cut about an 1” above the bottom of the stem.
Harvest the whole plant: I simply choose this method for two reasons. First, if I need quite a bit of arugula, say in a braised side arugula dish or a zingy salad, I’ll cut the whole plant. Second, if I feel the plant might be reaching a bolting phase or if we are about to receive a hard freeze I cut that whole puppy out of the garden.
Do not pull the plant! Cut as described in the cut-and-come-again section and leave the plant in the garden bed to naturally compost and put nutrients back into the soil.
HOW TO STORE FRESH ARUGULA
You might find yourself having to harvest more arugula than planned in a season. There are 3 ways that I like to store end-of-season harvests in order to have arugula all year.
Crisper Drawer: After washing your Arugula one of the easiest ways to store your greens is by wrapping in a damp paper towel and placing in a container or bag such as a reusable stasher bag and placing in the crisper drawer. This method will keep you bunch fresh for up to 5 days.
Jar of Water: You have the option here of storing your cut arugula or an arugula plant with the roots attached. Like most herbs, I like to keep my bunches in a mason jar up to 1-2” of water. Make sure to change the water every few days. This method keeps the greens much longer in the fridge (up to 7+ days), although you can opt to keep your jar on the counter.
Freeze: A quick way to learn how to freeze arugula is to grab a little olive oil, water and a food processor or blender. Puree the arugula mixture and place into ice cube trays, such as these. I like using the silicone trays because you can find them with lids and they pop out for easy use in the kitchen.
If you’d like to have in-tact arugula leaves for the whole year, you can blanche and freeze the leaves. Drop the leaves into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds then transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Pat dry and store in a stasher or plastic bag in the freezer for enjoying later in the off season. This method will keep your greens up to 1 year.
ARUGULA: THE ROCKET GREENS YOU NEED IN YOUR SALAD!
At this point, if you’re not quite sold on growing arugula, let me share with you the many benefits of this nutrient dense plant and I promise you’ll want to seed this in the garden ASAP.
Packed with Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Folate, Calcium and Potassium, it’s hard not to argue the health benefits. When combined with other nutrient dense foods there is reduced risk of cancer, osteoporosis prevention (this baby has more calcium than kale). Because it’s low in sugar it’s can lower the risk of diabetes when regularly consumed. All cruciferous veggies have a positive impact on heart health and reduce risk of heart disease. Not to mention, Arugula is rich in chlorophyll can prevent liver damage.
FAVORITE ARUGULA VARIETIES
Roquett Arugula: This variety packs a punch in the mouth. It has hints of pepper, mustard and tartness and elevates any salad. Baby greens are wonderful on pasta or pizza!
Astro Arugula: I love the mildness of this variety in cooked dishes. Astro is slow to bolt so you can get more harvest over an extended period of time. Also great in salads!
Are you sold on growing Arugula in the garden?
It’s hard to argue with the fact that it is one of the easiest, fast growing, compact vegetables in the garden. It has a long growing season for extended harvests and stays fresh longer once harvested! This power green deters pests and has many culinary uses and nutritional benefits.
Homegrown arugula simply tastes better than store bought! Try your hand at creatively using Arugula in the kitchen with a recipe like this Moroccan Carrot recipe.
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