Arugula Baby Roca Seeds

Baby Roca is a baby-leaf selection of arugula (garden rocket, Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa, syn. Eruca sativa), an annual cool-season leafy green in the mustard family. Its small, deeply lobed, fresh-green leaves carry the signature peppery, slightly nutty bite that makes rocket a favourite — picked young, they stay tender and mild, ideal for fresh salads, sandwiches, pizza toppings and bright garnishes.

Planting

Sow seed shallowly, about 0.6 cm deep, spacing seeds roughly 2.5 cm apart in the row, or simply broadcast for a cut-and-come-again patch. Seedlings emerge fast, usually in 5 to 7 days, sprouting in cool soil between about 4 and 13 C. Thin plants to 7.6 to 15 cm apart for full heads, and add the thinnings to salads. Grow in full sun, with at least six hours of direct light, though it also takes partial shade.

Fertilizing

Enrich the bed with compost or organic matter before sowing. As a fast leafy crop, side-dress with a nitrogen-rich feed such as compost, fish emulsion or blood meal, or apply a balanced fertilizer roughly every three to four weeks. Avoid over-feeding nitrogen, which gives lush but weaker-flavoured leaves.

Care

Keep the soil evenly moist but never waterlogged — its shallow roots need a steady supply, about 2.5 cm of water weekly, more in heat. Watch for flea beetles and aphids, plus mildews and damping-off. Cut young leaves within about three to four weeks; harvest before long, hot days trigger bolting and bitterness.