very easy · windowsill
How to grow rocket
Peppery salad leaf you can cut in three weeks and keep cutting. About as fast and forgiving as edible growing gets.
Eruca vesicaria · Brassicaceae
Why bother
Bagged salad is expensive, wasteful and days old. A shallow tray of rocket gives you a fresh, spicy cut whenever you want one.
What it needs
- Light
- 3-5 hours of light. Happy in cooler, part-shaded spots.
- Water
- Keep evenly moist; heat and dryness turn it bitter and send it to seed.
- Soil
- Any general-purpose compost, at least 10cm deep.
- Temperature
- Cool-season, roughly 10-22C.
- Container
- A wide, shallow tray or 25cm pot suits a cut-and-come-again row.
- Time to harvest
- 3 weeks for baby leaves.
- Best season to start
- Best spring and autumn; bolts in summer heat, so grow it cool.
Step by step
Day 0
Broadcast sow
Scatter seed over damp compost, cover with 5mm, and firm gently.
Week 1-2
Keep cool and moist
Even moisture keeps the flavour mild rather than harsh.
Week 3 onward
Cut and come again
Snip leaves at 8-10cm, leaving the crown to regrow. Two or three cuts per sowing.
What usually goes wrong
Leaves get fiercely hot and it flowers
Cause: Heat and drought stress.
Fix: Grow in a cooler spot, keep it watered, and sow a fresh tray every 2-3 weeks.
Small holes in leaves
Cause: Flea beetle, mainly outdoors.
Fix: Grow indoors or under fine mesh; healthy fast growth outruns minor damage.
Grows well beside
Cut-and-come-again lettuce, Spring onions
Before you eat anything you grow: be certain of the identification. This guide describes rocket specifically — it is not a way to confirm that an unknown plant is safe. Never eat a plant on the strength of an app alone.