Vegetable
Arugula
Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa · Brassicaceae
Also called: Rocket, Salad Rocket, Roquette, Rucola
Arugula (Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa) is a moderate-water vegetable well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It's a fast-growing vegetable.
Arugula at a glance
- Water use
- Moderate (established)
- Sun
- Full sun in the cool season; provide afternoon shade in warm spells to delay bolting.
- Mature size
- 8-24 in. tall when bolting; harvested as a low rosette of leaves ~6-10 in.
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- Creamy white to pale yellow with purple veining (when bolting), Bolts to flower with spring heat/long days; flowers are edible but signal end of leaf harvest
- Cold hardiness
- Cool-season annual; tolerates light frost to ~28 F. Heat-sensitive — bolts quickly once Tucson temperatures rise in spring.
- Soil
- Moist, well-drained soil with organic matter; pH 6.0-7.0. Tolerates lean soil but grows best with compost added to Tucson's native soil.
- Native range
- Mediterranean region and western Asia
- Best used as
- Peppery salad green, Pesto and cooking green, Fast succession cool-season crop, Edible flowers
- Wildlife
- Bolted flowers attract bees and other pollinators; flea beetles and cabbage-family pests may appear.
- Toxicity
- Edible and non-toxic to people and pets.
How to grow Arugula in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Keep soil evenly moist with light, frequent watering; it has shallow roots and bolts/turns bitter under heat or drought stress. In Tucson direct-sow Sept-Oct and again Feb-early March; it germinates fast and tolerates light frost, so succession-sow every 2-3 weeks through the cool season.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Light feeder; a modest dose of balanced or nitrogen fertilizer at planting plus one side-dressing is enough. Avoid excess nitrogen, which yields lush but harsh-flavored leaves.
Pruning & care
Harvest young outer leaves at 2-3 in. for mild flavor, or cut the whole plant; cut-and-come-again works for several harvests before it bolts.
Notes
One of the easiest, fastest Tucson cool-season crops to direct-sow. Plant fall (Sept-Oct) through late winter (Feb-March); ready in 30-40 days. Bolts and sharpens in flavor fast once spring heat arrives, so harvest young and succession-sow.
Sources: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension – Pima County Monthly Gardening Guides; Tucson Organic Gardeners Planting Guide; Pima County Master Gardeners