Arugula

Arugula: plant 15 cm (6 in) apart in the row and 15 cm (6 in) between rows, 9 per square. No known bad neighbours.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	15 cm (6 in)
Between rows	15 cm (6 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	9 per square
Sun	Part sun, 4–6 hours a day
Root depth	15 cm (6 in)
Height when grown	22 cm (9 in)
Crop rotation group	Cabbage family
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	Sown straight into the bed
Seeds per hole	3
Plants kept after thinning	1
Seeds per metre of row	30
Sowing depth	1 cm (0.4 in)
Soil temperature	from 4 °C, best 16–21 °C
Days to emerge	4–8 days
Light while germinating	Light makes no difference
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to sow	Indoors 4 weeks before the last frost; outdoors before the last frost; soil at least 5 °C

From seedling to plant

Pricking out	at 2 true leaves
Takes transplanting	Easily
Hardening off	5–7 days
Life cycle	Annual
Cold tolerance	Takes a light frost
Soil	Rich, with compost, stays moist, pH 6–7
In a pot	6 L, 20 cm (7.9 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; while leaves grow
Feeding	Moderate; at planting, while growing
Support and training	None needed

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	30–45 days, from sowing
Ready when	The leaves are big enough to use
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 3–5 weeks
Sow again every	10 days
Typical yield	2–4 kg per m²
Botanical family	Brassicaceae
Watch out for	Flea beetles, bolting in heat

Plan Arugula in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Arugula onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Sow outdoors	Mar–Sep
Harvest	Apr–Nov

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Arugula →

From the same family

Plants of the Brassicaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Arugula: Grow Your Own — University of Delaware Cooperative Extension for: sowing depth, soil, scientific name, between rows, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-30

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