Rocket
Popular and highly attractive salad leaves with a rich and tangy flavour. The addition of rocket leaves will make even the simplest salad exciting. They’re also delicious wilted into pasta or just served with a salad dressing. Easy to grow and ideal for repeat sowings through the summer months and extended cut-and-come-again harvests. They are the perfect quick and easy salad crop for small spaces, patio pots and containers.
Growing Advice
Sow outdoors March to August. Sow thinly 1.5cm deep directly where they are to grow, in rows spaced 25cm apart. Keep the soil moist and weed free at all times. Seedlings should start to appear after approximately 7-14 days. Thin seedlings out to a final spacing of 15cm apart. It is good practice to water well after thinning out, to wash any dislodged soil back around the roots of the remaining plants. Sow a new row every 2-3 weeks to extend your harvest period. Early sowings will benefit from cloche protection in cold weather.
Top Tips About Seeds
- Once the seed packet has been opened, the seeds can be stored in an airtight container until required for further sowings.
- Rocket seeds are best used fresh and although there are lots of seeds in a packet, repeated sowings through the summer is highly recommended, so they are unlikely to last more than one season.
Can easily be grown in large patio tubs or containers. Especially if just grown for baby leaves. Be sure to keep the compost moist at all times.
Plants can bolt, running to seed too early and stopping the growth of new leaves, if stressed by drought or by extremely hot weather, especially if grown in exposed locations. Grow rocket in a sheltered location and ensure the compost or soil is kept moist at all times. Flea beetle can spoil the appearance of the leaves, making lots of tiny holes, if this becomes a it problem can be prevented by growing plants under a fine insect netting or horticultural fleece.
Harvest from May to October. Leaves can be picked at any stage, from baby leaves to mature plants. Pick a few leaves from each plant and they will regrow quickly without stressing the plants too much. This will allow for a good number of regular harvests.
Ideas on how to use your Rocket
When thinning out just take alternate plants as they start to get overcrowded, allowing the remainder to grow on. These thinnings can then be used as tender baby leaves. Thin to just 5cm apart if growing space is limited and only baby leaves are required. When picking rocket leaves it is best done in the cool of the morning or evening, this is when they are at their best. Rocket seeds can easily be mixed and sown with the seeds of other salad leaves to create your own favourite blend for the perfect quick and easy to grow salad
David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
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