Fresh arugula leaves, just picked, in a market box.
Photo: Jeffery Martin · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons From the 4608×3456 original, scaled to 640×480 and re-encoded as WebP (quality 65); metadata removed.

Arugula

Eruca sativa

About it

Kind
Vegetables · Annual
Family
Brassicaceae
Hardiness zones
Zones 2–11
Sun
Part shade
Spacing
6 in apart, rows 12 in
Soil depth in a pot
At least 6 in
Soil pH
6–7
Water
About every 7 days

When to plant

Ready
About 40 days

Based on your last frost date. Outside the US, check local advice.

Varieties people grow

  • Astro— mild strap-shaped leaves; slower to run to seed
  • Roquette— the common garden arugula; a type name, not a brand
  • Sylvetta— wild rocket — a different plant, smaller and much sharper

Planting partners

What has been claimed about growing Arugula near other plants, grouped by how well it has been tested. Most companion planting advice has never been tested; the notes say which is which.

Tested in field trials

  • With Chinese Cabbage Napa cabbage grown as a trap crop beside other brassicas draws flea beetles away from them; in trials only a mix of three trap-crop species improved the protected broccoli's yield. UMN Extension ↗Europe PMC ↗
  • With Mustard Greens Mustard grown as a trap crop beside other brassicas draws flea beetles away from them; in trials only a mix of three trap-crop species improved the protected broccoli's yield. UMN Extension ↗Europe PMC ↗

Mixed evidence

  • With Green Onion Green onions are often planted to keep flea beetles off brassicas, but little research supports it and some contradicts it. UMN Extension ↗
  • With Marigold Marigolds are often planted to keep flea beetles off brassicas, but little research supports it and some contradicts it. UMN Extension ↗

Safety for pets and children

  • Cats No information in our sources
  • Dogs No information in our sources
  • Horses No information in our sources
  • Children No information in our sources

"No information" means our sources do not say, not that the plant is harmless. A non-toxic listing is not a reason to let anyone eat a plant.

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease notes for Arugula yet.

Check the label and your local extension service before using any product.

Where this comes from

  • family npgsweb.ars-grin.gov ↗ GRIN page: Eruca sativa Mill.
  • Most facts The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Backfilled by 0041. Pre-0041 rows recorded one source for the whole row; per-field attribution was never captured and is not invented here.
  • water frequency days NC State Extension ↗ NC State Gardener Handbook ch. 16, "Watering": "On average, vegetable gardens need 1 inch of water per week; provide only what is not supplied by rain." This is the handbook's general guidance for a vegetable garden, not a figure published for this crop.

Looks wrong? — Arugula

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