Growing rocket

Salad rocket Fireworks Salad rocket

Wild rocket
Wild rocket Dragons Tongue

Salad rocket Astra Salad rocket Buzz Salad rocket Pegasus Salad rocket Apollo

Space-age salad
The popularity of rocket, an easy salad leaf
to grow at home, has taken off in recent years
Author: Gareth Richards, RHS Online Features Editor. Photography: Tim Sandall
Wild rocket, on the other hand, is perennial its leaves
narrower, darker green and altogether more pungent. So
pungent, in fact, that in hot summer weather it is best
used as a herb; sprinkled over salads rather than as a
main component. The flowers are an almost neon shade
How to grow rocket
Both kinds of rocket can be sown year-round in protected
environments, such as greenhouses or on windowsills, as
a cut-and-come-again baby leaf, in seedtrays of peat-free
multipurpose compost. Rocket can even be harvested as
a micro-green an alternative to mustard and cress.
Generally though, both kinds are sown successionally
in small rows from April to early September, in an open,
sunny site. They tolerate drought, but overly-dry
conditions encourage bolting. Wild rocket can live for
several years in the same spot so it is worth cutting
young plants can be harvested using scissors, provided
that the growing points at the base of the plants are left
intact to allow further cropping.
The plants begin to elongate and develop stiffer stems
as they head towards flowering the leaves get larger but
lose the delicate flavour and texture of their younger days;
however, they will still be useful for adding to pasta dishes
and on pizzas. Useful, delicious, and easily grown: there is
a place for rocket in any garden, and any kitchen.
More from the RHS Read more advice online about

I
f one single vegetable could be said to capture the
essence of the British peoples modern-day love
of Mediterranean cuisine, rocket is it.
A couple of decades ago, salads across the land
were transformed from sweet, harmless affairs of
pale lettuce and cucumber to something altogether more
punchy and flavoursome by the rise in popularity of a
spicy salad leaf. Hailing from sun-baked parts of western
Asia and the Mediterranean, rocket brought new life to
many dishes and has remained popular ever since.
Wild or salad
There are two types of rocket: salad
and wild. Although they have
broadly similar flavours they are
in fact from two different genera,
Eruca vesicaria subsp.sativa (salad)
and Diplotaxis tenuifolia (wild).
Salad rocket, an annual plant, has
white flowers that age to cream and
pale yellow. It soon bolts if too dry
or hot however, this need not be a
problem as the flowers are edible,
too, with a pea-like sweetness and
a hint of the leaves pepperiness.
Germinating readily from seed
(which is easily saved) it can be
grown as a hardy annual, sown
GAP
of bright chrome-yellow. plants back after the heat of summer has passed. how to grow rocket: www.rhs.org.uk/gyo/rocket
Both wild and salad rocket hail from the cabbage Water generously and you will be rewarded with fresh Rocket seeds were sent to the International Space Station
as a collaboration between the RHS and the UK Space
family (Brassicaceae) with implications both good and crops of peppery leaves into autumn.
Agency. On their return they will be sent to schools and
bad for the gardener. They are full of tasty glucosinolates, Salad rocket germinates quickly and can be grown as a
grown alongside seeds that have stayed
thought to have certain health benefits, along with many catch crop among other plants such as parsnips. Wild and on Earth for comparison. For more,
vitamins and minerals. However, watch out for brassica salad rocket can be sown in modules in September for visit the RHS Campaign for
pests, especially flea beetles. Late sowings tend to escape planting out in greenhouse beds or growing bags once School Gardening website:
damage, as do those grown in tall containers; otherwise, tomatoes have been cleared away. They will then give www.rhs.org.uk/schoolgardening
Rocket (below)
protection with fine mesh is the only realistic solution. crops from late autumn into winter.
can be harvested suppliers Include:
at any stage of its
growth, from tiny
Different flavours Harvesting DT Brown: www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk; 0333 003 0869.
Kings Seeds: www.kingsseeds.com; 01376 570000 (with
micro-greens to Recent breeding work means that there are many cultivars Rocket can be harvested at any stage of its growth, thanks to Andrew Tokely for help with this article).
salad leaf size. to choose from as a simple rule, the more indented and as long as the leaves are palatable. The tufts of leaves Marshalls: www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk; 01480 443390.
narrower the leaf, the more on established wild rocket plants lend themselves to Mr Fothergills: www.mr-fothergills.co.uk; 0333 777 3936.
Nickys Nursery: www.nickys-nursery.co.uk; 01843 600972.
peppery the flavour will be. So, harvesting with scissors. Salad rocket, being softer, Thompson & Morgan: www.thompson-morgan.com;
svelte cultivars such as Wildfire is easier to harvest by hand, although dense rows of 0333 400 0033.
and Tirizia or more feathery
Astra pack a wild rocket-type Wild rocket Wildfire Wild rocket Voyager
punch, whereas more rounded,
wider-leaved cultivars such as
Apollo have a milder bite
(Fireworks being an exception).
It is worth noting that plants
grown in dry, sunny conditions
tend to have stronger flavours,
so if you prefer a more delicate
taste, grow summer crops in a
lightly shaded spot, keep them
well watered, and harvest when
Wild rocket Tirizia Salad rocket Sweet Oakleaf

any time from March onwards. the leaves are still young.

74 The Garden | March 2016 March 2016 | The Garden 75