When to plant rocket?
Sow rocket outdoors from April to early September, and for one more month under cloches, no deeper than 1 cm. In summer, salad rocket bolts in the heat: Campania sets no month and gives 22-24 °C by day and 16-18 °C at night.
When, by region
| North | Centre | South | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sowing | Outdoors from April to early September, plus one month under cloches. Indoors in February and March, and in August and September for winter under cover. Up to 1 cm deep. | For leaves, the same window. Umbria's guide is about rocket grown for seed, with autumn-winter and early-spring sowings, and does not fix a month for leaf rocket. | Sicily's guide does not fix a month. In Campania the leaf crop is almost all under cover. The wild-rocket cycle runs 15-20 days in summer and 35-50 in winter. |
| Spacing | Rows 15 cm apart, plants 15 cm apart. In summer, salad rocket in light shade. A pot at least 30 cm wide. | As in the north. Too little water, in Umbria on the seed crop, brings flowering forward. | As in the north in a home garden. For wild rocket, in Campania, transplanting is used on the autumn-winter cycles. Days at 22-24 °C, nights at 16-18 °C. |
Two plants: salad rocket lasts a few months, wild rocket carries on. Umbria's guide is about the seed crop.
April to early September, the extra month under cloches, February-March and August-September indoors, the centimetre and the 15 cm, are from the RHS. Days at 22-24 °C, nights at 16-18 °C, and 15-20 days in summer against 35-50 in winter, for wild rocket, are from Campania. Autumn-winter and early-spring sowings, and earlier flowering if water is short, are from Umbria, on rocket grown for seed. Sicily's guide lists rocket among the baby leaves and does not write a sowing month. Lettuce, which bolts in the same heat, is in when to plant lettuce. The months are in the April calendar, June, August and September.
Two rockets
The RHS separates two. Salad rocket, Eruca, is an annual: more tender leaves, and in the heat it bolts within a few weeks. Sow again every few weeks. Wild rocket, Diplotaxis, is a perennial: narrower, hotter leaves, and it carries on after flowering. Campania recommends the wild one. The cycle they write runs 35-50 days in winter, 25-30 in spring, 15-20 in summer and 25-35 in autumn.
Sow thinly, no deeper than 1 cm (½ in), rows 15 cm (6 in) apart, and thin to 15 cm. Eat the thinnings. Crowded, it bolts sooner. Indoors, in February and March to get ahead, and in August and September for winter in a greenhouse. The method is in starting seeds indoors.
Summer, and pots
In high summer, salad rocket is better in light shade. Water it, or it flowers. In Campania, 22-24 °C by day and 16-18 °C at night, with humidity under 60%. Leaves that stay wet, on a dense crop, pick up downy mildew: skip evening water on the foliage. How much is in watering, and the wider picture in pests and diseases.
A pot at least 30 cm (1 ft) wide suits it, or a window box. The RHS lists it among vegetables for containers. In summer, move it into shade in the hot hours: see the container garden. The first leaves arrive in 4-6 weeks. Take a few from each plant.
For seed, and for leaves
Umbria's guide covers rocket grown for seed. The sowings it names are autumn-winter and early spring, and the seed is normally harvested at the end of June. It also says that shorting the water brings flowering forward. For leaves, the calendar with months is the RHS one.
In Campania, for wild rocket on the autumn-winter cycles, they transplant. Direct sowing is still the usual method. After an autumn sowing, fleece can stay on until the seedlings are up. Materials and depth, when the cover stays on the bed, are in mulching. It is a brassica: if clubroot is in the garden, it sits with the cabbages in crop rotation.
In the app
Every plant in the catalogue has its own sowing calendar, and weather alerts for your area help you judge whether to sow now or hold off.
Frequently asked questions
Salad rocket or wild rocket?
Salad rocket is an annual and bolts in the heat: sow it again every few weeks. Wild rocket is a perennial, hotter, and it carries on after flowering. Campania recommends the wild one.
When do I sow outdoors?
From April to early September, and for one more month under cloches or fleece. Indoors, in February and March to get ahead, and in August and September for winter under cover. No deeper than 1 cm, plants 15 cm apart.
Does it bolt straight away in summer?
Salad rocket does, if it is hot and the soil dries out. The RHS puts it in light shade and waters it. In Campania the summer cycle of wild rocket runs 15-20 days, the winter one 35-50.
Does it grow in a pot?
Yes. The RHS uses a pot at least 30 cm wide, plants 15 cm apart. It is on the list of vegetables for containers. In summer, move it out of midday sun.
What month does Umbria's guide write?
It covers rocket grown for seed, with autumn-winter and early-spring sowings, and a seed harvest at the end of June. There is no month for leaf rocket. For leaves, the RHS window applies.