Growing Rocket – Plant Rocket Now

Growing rocket – some simple tips for new gardeners and old hands.

 

Rocket is a fast growing plant with the young leaves having a mild peppery flavour and a stronger mustard taste when older.  The plants resemble an open lettuce but they are not in the lettuce family. You can use the young leaves in a salad and the older leaves can be added to stir fry dishes. Sometimes you will also see the name Arugula used for Rocket.

Growing Rocket from seeds

Fill the GreenSmart pot with one bag (40 litres ) of potting mix and sprinkle a 1 cm deep layer of seed raising mix on the surface. Rocket seeds are very small so it is better to plant these seeds into a seed raising mix rather than directly into the coarser potting mix. Dampen the soil from above with 7-8 litres of water. This will half fill the water reservoir. Subsequent watering should be done through topping up the reservoir via the water gauge. Sprinkle the rocket seeds on the surface so they are 1-2 cm apart. Then lightly cover with a very thin layer of seed raising mix – just a few mm thick. Just plant a quarter of the pot. The seedlings will emerge in 7-10 days. Thin them out so they are about 10 cm apart.

In order to give yourself a continuous supply of rocket, plant another quarter of the GreenSmart planter in another 2-3 weeks. Alternatively plant the pot with a variety of salad greens.

Click here for Kings Seeds’ Rocket.

 

When to grow rocket

Plant in the period September to November. Then plant again March-April. They do not do so well if planted in the summer months as they bolt away to seed and the leaves taste much stronger. Position the planter where the rocket plants will get partial shade during the warmer months.

Harvesting Rocket

After about 30 days the leaves will be ready to harvest. Just pick off a couple of the longer leaves and let the plant continue growing. Don’t pick off all the leaves in one picking.

What are you waiting for ?
Click here to order your self watering GreenSmart planters here.