Rocket

Rocket Growing Information

Rocket is one of those vegetables people either love or hate. It tends to have a musky odour and taste that can put off some people, while others find its peppery bite very refreshing.

Rocket is a leafy vegetable with irregular, lobed leaves that are tender and delicious when small and young, but which turn bitter as they age. The taste is peppery or mustardy, and the leaves are often added raw to salads or as a garnish on sandwiches or added to stir-fries or soups.

As a cool-season leafy vegetable, rocket is usually planted either in the spring for early summer harvest, or in the late summer for autumn and winter harvest. It is a fast-growing vegetable that matures in 40 to 50 days.

Light: As long as the temperatures stay cool, full sun is the best exposure. As the weather warms, rocket appreciates part shade, especially in the afternoon.

Soil: Rocket isn’t a picky plant, so it will grow in most types of soil. It grows best in well-draining but moist soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0.

Water: The biggest maintenance chore is keeping your rocket well-watered. Regular water will keep plants from bolting too quickly.

Temperature and Humidity: Rocket likes cool weather—7 to 18 degrees C is ideal—but it can be damaged or stressed by hard frost or snow. Keep the row covers handy and protect your plants if extreme cold weather is predicted. If you are surprised with a sudden heatwave, try to shade the plants, in addition to keeping them watered. Plant later seedings in the shade of taller plants, like tomatoes and beans.

Fertilizer: Rocket grows so fast that a single application of a high-nitrogen fertilizer or rich compost mixed into the soil at planting time is usually all that is needed. Additional feeding is required only if the leaves are light green and clearly undernourished, as sometimes happens in very poor soil. Like other leafy vegetables, nitrogen is the key nutrient for rocket.

Source: https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-grow-arugula-4125564