Arugula

Eruca sativa (Brassicaceae or cabbage family)

Production

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Soil preparation and rotation

• To avoid insect and disease pressure, arugula should not follow other crops in the Brassica family for 1–3 years.
• Spring arugula does well after a winter cover crop of oats and peas, oats by itself (in the Northeast or Midwest, a mid- to late-September seeding date will see oats reach about a foot in height), or when no cover crop was planted the previous fall.
• Apply compost and other amendments based on the results of a soil test.
• Spread lime as needed to increase both the pH and Ca levels. Dolomite lime will also increase Mg levels. Spread gypsum when calcium levels are low but pH is correct.
• A fertilizer company can add OMRI-listed potassium sulfate to compost if it doesn't have enough K to meet the crop’s needs. If this isn’t possible, spread the correct amount of fertilizer and incorporate it before planting.
• Test for boron and apply only as recommended by the soil test. A fertilizer company can add boron to compost to optimize boron distribution. If this isn’t an option, distribute soluble boron through a water solution with a sprayer directly on the soil. If applied directly on the crop, don’t exceed more than 1 lb. of boron per acre to avoid leaf burn. 
• Jang, Sutton Jr. or Planet Jr. planters in combination with small seeds like arugula don’t perform well with plant matter on the soil surface, so avoid planting them after tall green manures.
• Create a fine, firm seedbed weeks before planting. This encourages weeds to germinate and provides the opportunity for some initial weed control via shallow cultivation or flaming.
• Alternatively, place a silage tarp over the prepared and irrigated seedbed 3–5 weeks in advance of the seeding date, depending on the time of year. This will flush many annual weed seeds and reduce weed pressure. Remove the tarp when the weeds have died

Common recommended fertilizer rates¹

Nitrogen	Phosphorus	Potassium	pH
120	20-160	0-200	6.2-6.5
1Rates are for New York and are from Cornell University’s Nutrient Guidelines for Commercial Vegetable Production (2019). Check the Cornell website for updated guidelines, or consult with local experts for recommended rates outside New York.

Varieties

• Washington State variety trial
• Astro for regular arugula; Belluzia for wild arugula 

Direct seeding information in 5- or 6- foot beds

For full-grown arugula, plant rows are 7–9 inches apart; for baby arugula, use close row spacings or broadcast the seed. Wild arugula seed is very small and the following recommendations do not apply.

Seeder	Rows	Seeds per foot	Seed plate no.	Depth (inches)	Sprocket setting	Seeder
Planet Jr.	5	30	3 or 4	1/4		Use spreader shoe
Sutton Jr.	10-20	20-40	6	1/4		Drive 1 mph
Jang	5	12-24	YYJ-12 or X24	1/4	12 hole: front 14/rear 9; 24 hole: front 14/rear 10

Soil temperature and days to germinate

Soil temperature	40°	50°	60°	70°	75°
Days to germinate	23	5	3	2	1

Seeding time and successions

• Start planting in the spring as soon as you’ve prepared the ground. Arugula won’t germinate below a soil temperature of 40°. Optimum germination is 75°. Optimum growing conditions are 65°–75°.
• Depending on the location, plant successions in the spring 10–12 days apart for a continuous harvest, and shorten the intervals down to a weekly planting. As a general rule, don’t plant the next succession until the cotyledons have fully emerged, or at the first true leaf stage. 
• Arugula bolts due to longer days and high temperatures. Therefore, avoid late spring plantings that will mature in summer.
• Resume with weekly plantings when nights have cooled off, which is in August through September in the northern United States. Plant weekly successions until 3–4 weeks before the first frost.
• Greenhouse or high-tunnel growers plant wild arugula every 4 days for continual harvest. As mentioned above, early plantings require longer intervals to avoid a situation where several successions are ready to harvest at the same time. 

Cultivation procedures

• Use a basket weeder or wheel hoe when weeds are in the white thread stage, without burying the young crop. Weed control is more effective when you eliminate weeds before they emerge.
• You shouldn’t need to hand weed if you plant arugula in clean ground at the correct population and row distance.

Disease and insect protection

• Bacterial leaf spot is seed borne. If possible, use a hot water treatment before planting. This won’t work for wild arugula as the seed is too small and exposure to hot water will make it sterile. 
• Flea beetles:
  • Cover the crop with floating row covers or insect netting before emergence to avoid flea beetle damage. Keep covered until harvest. Alternatively, use a spinosyn–based product like Entrust. 
  • Fall-planted arugula doesn’t need any protection after the third generation of flea beetles, which is around September 1 in the Northeast. If possible, follow Extension bulletins that publish the timing of each generation of flea beetles, or place yellow sticky cards at plant height to monitor their presence. Check the cards at least twice a week.
  • Spray beneficial nematodes on heavily infected land to control flea beetle grubs and avoid future generations. Flea beetles tend to overwinter in nearby hedgerows and grass strips.

Other cultural practices

• Irrigate frequently for optimum yield and plant health. Frequency depends on soil type, evaporation, precipitation and the particular needs of the crop. 

Double cropping and/or cover cropping

• You can plant another short-season vegetable crop like lettuce or spinach after early arugula. 
• For later dates, work under any harvest remains to avoid insect or pathogen build up, and plant a cover crop. In the northern United States and Canada, you can follow summer- and early-fall-harvested arugula with a cover crop of oats and peas in September, or rye and vetch planted at later dates. Adjust accordingly in other regions.
• November-harvested arugula doesn’t allow for the establishment of a cover crop. Any attempt to work the soil late in the fall without establishing a cover crop can cause erosion. While late-season arugula serves poorly as a cover crop, it’s better than bare ground.

Harvest

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Ready-to-harvest and quality indicators

• Plants are 34-inches tall for salad or 6–10 inches tall for cooking greens or bunching.
• Plants are deep green and without pungency.
• Leaves shouldn’t have excessive holes due to flea-beetle damage.

Harvest procedures

• Wash hands and sanitize knives before harvesting.
• Harvest in the morning hours to avoid field heat accumulation.
• Move the crop from dirty harvest boxes to new clean ones after washing.
• Walk the fields before harvesting to inspect the crop for animal damage or feces. Mark these spots with a flag so the tractor operator or harvest crew can avoid harvesting near them.
• When machine harvested:
  • Weed the field thoroughly before harvesting as people on the machine won’t be able to keep up with sorting at the speed of harvesting.
  • During harvest, remove all yellow leaves from the belt before they fall into the crates. When using a quick-cut harvester (e.g., Farmer’s Friend), you’ll sort after harvesting.
• When hand harvested with a knife:
  • Hold a small bunch of leaves at the top of the plant with one hand and cut with one motion using the other hand.
  • Shake vigorously to remove any yellow leaves or stems from previous cuttings.
  • Place the crop in a box with the stems facing the same direction.
  • Leave behind 1–2 inches for regrowth. For salad mix, the leaves should be small and tender. Cut high enough that only the leaf part is harvested.
  • For braising mix, the leaves can be larger and not as tender, but leave long stems behind.

Washing and storage procedures

• Wash hands and rinse boots before entering the wash-and-pack shed, and cover up field clothes with a bib. If a long-sleeve shirt contains soil, remove this as well.
• Add a sanitizer like hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid to the water for the first washing or in the circulation tank of the rinse conveyor vegetable washer. Use the guide How to Wash Produce Using a Peracetic Acid Solution to establish how much sanitizer solution to add to water.
• Wash arugula at least twice and preferably three times in clean, potable water when a rinse conveyor vegetable washer is not available. You can use the last dunking of the arugula to hydrocool the product by adding ice to the water or pre-cooling it. Using a bubbler to agitate the water reduces damage to the leaves.
• Don’t leave greens in water for longer than 1 minute. Leaves tend to get waterlogged after a few minutes, which causes them to deteriorate faster.
• Dry arugula in a centrifuge. There are different sizes and models of commercial-grade salad spinners available through restaurant equipment suppliers.

Additional resources

• Production Guide for Storage of Organic Fruits and Vegetables

Packing and storage summary for arugula

Packing in the field	Plastic 1 ⅓-bushel boxes
Packing for delivery	3 lb. boxes for baby arugula or 24–30 bunches in 1 ⅑-bushel boxes weighing 18 lbs. for wholesale. See the International Federation for Produce Standards for the correct PLU code. Add the prefix 9 for organic crops. A clean box of choice for CSA distribution. Line the boxes with a plastic liner to avoid having the product lose moisture.
Storage	At 32°–41° and 95–100% humidity.

This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.