Rocket - better known by its Italian name rocket - is a popular salad and seasoning plant that is mainly used in Mediterranean cuisine. It is easy to grow in your own garden and you will be rewarded with a great taste experience.

What types of plants are there?

There are mainly two commercially available rocket species from the cruciferous family:

  • annual garden mustard rocket (bot. Eruca sativa), also known as salad rocket or oil rocket
  • perennial wild rocket (bot. Diplotaxis tenuifolia), also called narrow-leaved double seed

Both types are easy to care for and equally suitable for cultivation in the garden, greenhouse or on the balcony. Wild rocket varieties have a stronger taste.

How is the sowing successful?

It depends on how much time you want to spend growing the plants. From January, the seeds are pre-cultivated on the windowsill at 10-16° C and the plants that have been brought forward are later planted outdoors. Sowing the seeds directly into the beds requires a little less effort. It's even easier with ready-made young plants from specialist shops. In any case, the small plants should be protected from frost.

When and how to plant?

From March, sow in rows 10-15 cm apart or broadcast in the prepared beds, cover the seeds with just a little soil, water well. The young plants can also be placed individually in the perennial bed. With its narrow, smooth, coarsely serrated leaves that grow in large rosettes, the rocket is quite decorative.

Which location is optimal?

The rocket makes no special demands on its environment. It thrives in a sunny to partially shaded position in any garden soil that is well drained and not too heavy.

Crop rotation and neighborhood

It is advisable to observe crop rotation, i. H. only plant the rocket after three years in places where other cruciferous plants (e.g. white, red or Brussels sprouts) were previously grown. Good partners in the bed are onions, celery, marigolds.

How to propagate rocket

The rocket likes to sow itself, so the inflorescences should be removed consistently. This limits self-seeding and prevents the bitter taste that the leaves get after flowering. If you let 1-2 plants bloom, you have enough seed for the next season. Once the rocket has established itself, it will multiply by self-seeding and will delight the garden owner with a spicy and tasty salad ingredient.

When can you harvest?

Depending on the variety, it takes 4-7 weeks from sowing to the first cut. It is best to use the young leaves for salad preparations, use the older ones for seasoning because of their sharpness. If the leaves are not cut off too deeply when harvesting, the rocket will sprout again and again.

tips and tricks

Rocket is not very susceptible to pests and diseases. An evenly moist soil keeps away the flea beetles that occur in dry weather.

Category:

Vegetable garden