How to Sow and Grow Rocket: A Complete Guide
Rocket is a peppery salad leaf that grows quickly in cool weather. Salad rocket is fast and mild; wild rocket is slower, stronger flavoured and more persistent. Both bolt quickly in heat, so they are best treated as spring and autumn crops.
Choosing rocket
Annual salad rocket produces broad leaves rapidly. Wild rocket has narrower serrated leaves, stronger flavour and regrows for longer. Choose slow-bolting cultivars for late spring and cold-tolerant types for autumn.
When to sow
Sow from early spring in small batches, pause during extreme summer heat, then resume from late summer into autumn. Under cover, rocket can continue through winter in mild regions. Warm-climate growers should focus on the cool season.
How to sow
Sow 5–10 mm deep in rows 15–25 cm apart. Thin to 5 cm for baby leaves or 10–15 cm for mature plants. Modules reduce losses to flea beetles and slugs, but transplant before plants become crowded.
Position and containers
Use sun in cool weather and partial shade as temperatures rise. Rocket grows in containers at least 15 cm deep and can share troughs with other salads. Fertile soil with mature compost is sufficient.
Watering and feeding
Keep soil evenly moist for tender mild leaves. Drought makes flavour hotter and triggers flowering. Extra feed is rarely needed, although repeatedly cut container crops can receive a dilute organic liquid feed.
Flowers and self-seeding
Rocket flowers are edible and attractive to pollinators. Let selected healthy plants flower and set seed if self-sowing is welcome. Remove unwanted seedlings before they crowd later crops.
Common problems
Flea beetles: cover seedlings with fine insect-proof mesh and keep them growing steadily
Bolting: sow in cooler seasons, shade summer crops and maintain moisture
Slugs: protect young plants and remove nearby shelter
Downy mildew: improve airflow and avoid overcrowding
Very hot flavour: harvest younger leaves and prevent drought stress
Harvesting and storing
Cut outer leaves or shear plants 2–3 cm above the crown for regrowth. Harvest little and often before flower stems elongate. Wash, dry and refrigerate briefly. Older leaves suit pesto or cooking when too strong for salads.
A reliable approach
Grow rocket at the edges of the season, sow little and often, use mesh against flea beetles and keep roots moist. Wild rocket provides the longest harvest from one planting.
