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Vegetable · Easy to grow

Rocket

Eruca vesicaria · also Arugula

A fast, peppery salad green that's ready in about 4 weeks and does best in Adelaide's cooler months. In warm weather it bolts and gets very hot, so give summer sowings shade. Pick leaves young and often.

When to plant where you live

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Add rocket to my garden

Planting times for other areas

Varieties (1)

  • Salad rocket (Eruca)Broad leaves with mild-to-peppery flavour; very quick

Neighbours

Grows well with

From seed to plate

  1. Plant

    15 cm apart, seed 5 mm deep. Full sun or part shade.

  2. Water

    Keep moist.

  3. Feed

    Little needed.

  4. Pick, from about 4 weeks

    Pick young leaves.

Good to know

  • Cut leaves 3 cm above the crown for quick regrowth
  • The flowers are edible and attract beneficial insects
  • Grow salad (garden) rocket, not wild rocket: wild rocket (Diplotaxis, Lincoln weed) is a declared plant in South Australia.

Common problems

  • Boltingsow in autumn to spring; harvest often and resow every few weeks
  • Flea beetle holes and caterpillarscover with fine insect mesh
  • Aphidshose off; encourage hoverflies

If you use a garden chemical, follow the label exactly. Try organic options first, and ask the community or Plant Doctor if you're unsure.

Ask the garden helper about rocketAny question, answered from the plant libraryHow others are growing rocketQuestions, tips and harvests from the community
Where this information comes from
  • Australian seed company regional sowing charts (temperate zone) (germination, low confidence)
  • ABC Gardening Australia fact sheets (growing, low confidence)
  • The Seed Collection: how to grow rocket (growing, medium confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
  • Sustainable Gardening Australia: planting guides (sowing window, low confidence)

Reviewed by AI cross-check (Claude), not a horticulturist on 27 Oct 2026. Version 2.