Rocky Arugula Rocket is a compact, fast-growing wild rocket that brings serious peppery punch to salads and cooked dishes. This cultivar of Diplotaxis tenuifolia reaches just 8 to 10 inches tall with a tight, manageable growth habit, making it a smart choice for both garden beds and containers. Ready to harvest in just 30 to 50 days, it thrives in zones 6 through 10 and handles the cold better than many leafy greens, even offering winter harvests in mild climates.
6
Full Sun
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6-10
10in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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Unlike mild cultivated rocket, wild rocket delivers a distinctly peppery, bold flavor that intensifies the more mature the leaves become. Its compact stature means you can squeeze productivity into tight spaces, and successive sowings every three weeks keep harvests coming from spring through fall. The 40°F germination threshold makes it one of the earliest spring crops you can direct sow, often sprouting when soil is barely workable.
Harvest young leaves for delicate, peppery salads, or let them mature for a sharper bite in cooked dishes, wilted greens, and pasta. The robust flavor holds up beautifully to roasting, sautéing, and braising, making it far more versatile than milder salad rocket varieties.
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Start indoors is not recommended for Rocky Arugula Rocket.
Sow directly into the garden 2 to 4 weeks before your average last frost date when soil temperature is at least 40°F; ideally 50 to 70°F. In mild climates, sow in fall for winter harvest. Make successive sowings every 3 weeks until 4 to 6 weeks before your average first fall frost date.
Begin harvesting Rocky Arugula Rocket as soon as 30 to 50 days after sowing, when leaves are tender and young. Pinch or cut outer leaves first to encourage continued growth, or harvest the entire plant by cutting at soil level. Young leaves deliver the mildest peppery flavor; allow plants to mature for more intense heat if that's your preference.
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