🥬 Arugula
How to grow
Direct sow only — arugula resents transplanting like a cat resents a bath. In Florida, this is strictly a fall-through-spring crop: sow every two weeks from October through February for a rolling supply. Up north, sow as soon as soil hits 40°F (it actually germinates fine in chilly soil) and again in late summer for fall. The seeds are tiny but mighty; press them into moist soil and cover lightly with a quarter inch of fine soil or vermiculite. Cool weather is the whole game here. Once daytime highs park above 80°F, arugula bolts faster than a teenager asked to do dishes. Shade cloth and afternoon shade buy you a couple extra weeks in the shoulder seasons.
Water & feeding
Keep soil consistently moist — about an inch a week. Dry-stressed arugula turns extra bitter and bolts even faster. Work 5-10% worm castings into the top few inches before sowing; it germinates so fast it barely needs feeding after that, but a quarter-inch castings top-dress at three weeks keeps the leaves tender. Avoid high-nitrogen synthetic fertilizer unless you want rocket-flavored rocket.
Common problems
- Flea beetles chew tiny shot-holes in leaves — row cover from day one is the cheapest fix.
- Bolting in heat — succession sow and pull plants at the first flower stalk; flowers are edible and great for bees.
- Downy mildew in humid weather — space for airflow, water at the base, and don't crowd.
Harvest
Start snipping outer leaves when they're 2-3 inches long, about 3 weeks after sowing. Cut-and-come-again harvesting keeps the plant producing for weeks. Once the flower stalk shoots up, let it bloom — the flowers are delicious and the bees will throw you a parade.