All the spicy flavor you love, with so little work. This perennial arugula just keeps giving and giving throughout most of the year. It's super easy to grow and gives a more delicious, nutty, spicy kick than its annual cousin. It's called Wild Rocket in Europe and its flavor is off the charts! (Diplotaxis tenuifolia)
Why We Love It
Here are some of the reasons why we love Perma Arugula...
1) SO DELICIOUS! This is one of our absolute favorite perennial salad greens. It mixes wonderfully with our other greens and stir fries up beautifully. Our favorite use for it is on top of pizza or as a base layer for buffalo cauliflower. Yum!!!
2) DEEP ROOTS - As permaculture enthusiasts, we know that that means! Deep roots means that this perennial arugula can mine deep for the nutrients and water that it needs, making it super easy to grow and super nutrient-dense.
3) GROWS ALMOST ANYWHERE - This is a great plant for your food forest or the edge of your garden where you don't think you can grow anything else. Perennial arugula will grow in full sun or part-shade and just needs well-draining soil.
How to Grow It
Here's how to grow Perennial Arugula:
| SUN | SUN or PART-SHADE |
| MOISTURE | NOT FUSSY, BUT REGULAR MOISTURE GIVES MILDER LEAVES |
| GROWING ZONES | USDA 6-10 (Not sure? Find your growing zone here) |
| SIZE | 2 FEET TALL & WIDE |
| GROWING FROM SEED |
Days to Maturity: 30-50 days. Start indoor in plug trays 4-6 weeks before last frost. Seed ¼’’ deep and keep moist. Germ in 7-14 days. Plant out or pot up once seedling has a strong root structure at 1½ ft spacing. These are easy transplanters and grow robust and tall. Winter Sowing is the easiest way to start these seeds. Here's a seed-starting tutorial for you. You won't believe how easy it is! PRO TIP: Heat and light equal peppery green spice with arugula plants. Grow some of your perennial arugula in the part-shade for milder flavor during the summer. If you don't want it to multiply, cut off the flowers so it doesn't develop seeds. We let ours self-seed every 3-4 years to regenerate the plant as it gets older the plant gets woodier stalks so younger plants will give juicer greens. |
How to Harvest & Use It
You can harvest this plant any time of year! You will find that the leaves are more mild in the cooler part of the year and the spice really kicks up in the heat of the summer! Ours goes dormant in the winter and is one of the first plants to pop up in the Spring. You're going to love the nutty, spicy flavor of this no-fuss perennial veggie. It's a true gem!
You can eat it raw as part of a spring green salad or cook it up lightly in stir fry. Experiment with salt brine fermentation is always a wonderful way to use this spicy green when its abundant and needs to be harvested heavily.