If you love arugula in your salads as much as I do and would love to have an endless supply of it, learn how to grow arugula everywhere. In pots on your terrace, in your backyard or even in the cracks between pavements. Not trying to brag, but I’ve got arugula everywhere.

Also, I’m sharing some of my favorite ways to use arugula – some easy and healthy arugula recipes!

Arugula or rocket is a vegetable that has a fresh peppery flavor and is great in salads, on pizza and pasta. Arugula is also called garden rocket or rocket and comes from the Mediterranean region. It’s a staple vegetable in Italian and Greek cuisine.

Apart from being incredibly tasty, arugula has amazing health benefits because it’s a part of the Brassica family – the plant family of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Yes, it’s the pretty one in the family.

Here are some ways arugula can benefit your health, according to Medical News Today:

as a cruciferous vegetable, it contains compounds that can reduce cancer risk
consuming arugula regularly can help prevent osteoporosis due to its high content in calcium and vitamin K
arugula might help prevent and fight diabetes thanks to its anti-diabetic properties
arugula and other cruciferous vegetables can benefit your heart health and reduce atherosclerosis

Why Grow Arugula?

How about having a supply of arugula at home at all times? That’s enough of a reason for me…

Other benefits include:

saving money – arugula can be quite pricy
less plastic – arugula is usually packaged in plastic and growing your own can help save the environment
you know what’s in there – you cannot know for sure with store-bought arugula how it’s been treated, you know about your own
eat as little or as much as you want – arugula goes bad in a matter of days and it’s a shame to throw it out if you don’t eat it within the first few days
seeing your plants grow is very fulfilling!

If you love arugula in your salads as much as I do and would love to have an endless supply of it, learn how to grow arugula in pots and in your backyard. Also, I'm sharing some of my favorite ways to use arugula - some easy and healthy arugula recipes! — I took these pictures in October last year, so my arugula is not looking super fresh anymore (it was not in season anymore)

How To Plant And Grow Arugula

Sowing: To make the seedbed, flatten the soil and add the arugula seeds 1-2 cm or 1/2 inch apart. Add soil on top 1-2 cm (1/4-1/2 inch) – it’s best to use rich, well-drained soil. Add water and make sure to keep the soil moist, but not too wet. Keep at warm temperatures, between 10-25C (50-70F).
The arugula will germinate, but what we want is to get the arugula when it has grown small roots. This will happen when the plant gets its second set of leaves. Once they’re there, it’s time to take the small plants out with the root.
To plant and grow arugula, add soil to new pots, make a hole for each root with a stick or a dibber and plant the root 2 cm (1/2 inch) into the soil. (Or plant directly in a new spot in your backyard.) Cover with soil and add water to keep the plant moist and to even the soil. Keep in a bright, sunny place. Water every 2-3 days, depending on the outside temperature, making sure the soil is always moist (not too wet, not too dry).
Once you start getting more leaves on each plant, start picking the outermost leaves – that’s the biggest ones and usually the oldest ones.

When / if the arugula starts to get woody or to bloom, cut it back above the last set of leaves (to the bottom). This will help keep the plant producing more. Also, the more you use/pick the leaves, the more the plant produces.

After fall, I don’t actually pull out the arugula and just let it be, cut back a bit and it survives the winter. In spring, it comes back with new energy on its own.

Also, I usually let some of the arugula plants go to seed – the bees love them! And, over the years, these seeds have been self-planting. Meaning, each spring I discover new and new arugula plants everywhere. Even between the pavements.

When To Grow Arugula

As with all things in gardening and in life, timing is super important. I tried growing arugula in the heat of the summer and slowly learned that it’s not its season. It immediately got woody and bloomed and bugs were all over it.

Like most Brassica and leafy green vegetables, arugula is easiest to grow in spring. You can also grow it in the fall, but I find spring to be THE best time. Also, when you start it in spring, you can still have some during summer (just water regularly) and then in fall.

How To Use Arugula

You can use arugula in salads, on top of pasta, risotto or pizza! Here are some recipes you might enjoy:

How To Grow Arugula In Pots Or Your Backyard

If you love arugula in your salads as much as I do and would love to have an endless supply of it, learn how to grow arugula in pots and in your backyard. Also, I'm sharing some of my favorite ways to use arugula - some easy and healthy arugula recipes!

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Materials

arugula seeds
rich, well-drained soil
pots (optional)
water

Tools

dibber or a stick to make holes
trowel to work the soil
gardening gloves (as you can see - that's optional haha)

Instructions

Sowing: To make the seedbed, flatten the soil and add the seeds 1-2 cm or 1/2 inch apart. Add soil on top 1-2 cm (1/4-1/2 inch) - it's best to use rich, well-drained soil. Add water and make sure to keep the soil moist, but not too wet. Keep at warm temperatures, between 10-25C (50-70F).
The arugula will germinate, but what we want is to get the arugula when it has grown small roots. This will happen when the plant gets its 2nd set of leaves. Once they're there, it's time to take the small plants out with the root.
To plant and grow arugula, add soil to new pots, make a hole for each root with a stick and plant the root 2 cm (1/2 inch) into the soil. Cover with soil and add water to keep the plant moist and to even the soil. Keep in a bright, sunny place.
Water every 2-3 days, depending on the outside temperature, making sure the soil is always moist (not too wet, not too dry).

Notes

If the arugula starts to get yellow, one reason can be that you're watering it too often - if this happens you need to stop watering your plant for a while.

Originally published in May 2020, last updated in May 2026.

How To Grow Arugula Everywhere