juststartedmyown
Newly Registered
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:18 pm
Contact: Website

Arugula seeds--how do I plant them?

Hello,

I just received my arugula seeds in the mail, but they came without instructions on how to plant them. Any advice? This is my first garden, so please be very specific with instructions and the do's, and don'ts.

Thank you so much!

:-()

gumbo2176
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3065
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 2:01 am
Location: New Orleans

Arugula is a cool weather crop and it's too hot to plant now in my area of the world. I live in the deep south and will not plant it till late Sept. or early Oct. They will bolt when heat stressed.

They do best planted in full sun but will grow in part shade areas.

Plant 1/4 inch deep about 1 inch apart and as they grow, thin to 6 inches apart and eat the ones you thin. You can harvest in 30-40 days and harvest the outer leaves and leave the central part of the plant to extend the plants productivity by not pulling the entire plant. Plant new seeds every 2-3 weeks to extend the season. Once the leaves get large, they tend to get a little bitter and tough.

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13961
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

They do taste better in cool weather. They are pretty easy to grow. I start mine in pots and transplant them out later, but they can be direct sown on prepared ground. I don't cover my seed, I just water them in well, it is better to wait until the weather cools to to plant them.

User avatar
jal_ut
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7447
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

New Member, welcome to the forum.

Arugula is pretty easy to grow. When to plant depends some on where you are. Perhaps you can add a siggy line to let us know your locale?

Plant arugula seed about 1/2 inch deep in a row. Don't get it too thick. In my country, Northern Utah, springtime is a good time to plant arugula. I think one could plant now and get a fall crop though. Planting later than this here would be futile since we get such early frosts. This is why I say it depends a lot on where you are. If you have 60 to 65 days before hard frost, you can plant now. I just planted some spinach and radishes for the fall crop. Hmmmm, I may have some arugula seed too. Maybe I should go plant some?

Only problem with planting now, its August and hot. You need to water daily till the seed comes up or it will dry and die. Good luck.

juststartedmyown
Newly Registered
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:18 pm
Contact: Website

Thank you all for your replies! :D I love my garden and I hope my beginner questions do not bother you too much. As you can read in my other post on this forum, I did not do so good with my watermelons, so I will try to get as much info on a plant before I put all the effort into it.
jal_ut wrote:
Only problem with planting now, its August and hot. You need to water daily till the seed comes up or it will dry and die. Good luck.
Thank you for your reply. does this mean that I can still plant it in August? What if I plant it inside the house where the aircon is on? Do the roots need a lot of pace or could I technically plant it in a pot?

Arugula is so expensive and I would love to grown and eat my own and soon as possible. :D

gumbo2176
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3065
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 2:01 am
Location: New Orleans

Again, it all depends on where you live. It is still way too hot for me to plant them and I live in S.E. Louisiana. I won't plant most of my fall crop until late September/ early October.

If all else fails, check your zone for planting guides. Google Planting Guide for your area and you should get information off the net. If that fails, call a local nursery to see what they recommend to be planted now.

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

We really can't help you unless you add info (either in a signature line or in your profile so it shows up under your screen name) about where you are located. All gardening is local! When/ whether to plant your arugula is completely dependant on your weather and climate.



Return to “Vegetable Gardening Forum”