Arugula (Eruca vesicaria)

Arugula (Eruca vesicaria) is a fast-growing leafy green prized for its bold peppery flavour, tender foliage, and exceptional versatility in the kitchen. A staple of Mediterranean cuisine, Arugula produces attractive deeply lobed green leaves that add a fresh, slightly spicy bite to salads, sandwiches, wraps, pizzas, pasta dishes, pesto, soups, and stir-fries. Young leaves offer a milder flavour, while mature foliage develops a more pronounced peppery taste.

This cool-season annual grows quickly and can be harvested repeatedly throughout the growing season using a cut-and-come-again method. Regular harvesting encourages fresh new growth, providing a continuous supply of tender leaves for weeks. If allowed to flower, Arugula produces delicate white to creamy flowers with purple veins that attract bees, butterflies, hoverflies, and other beneficial pollinators. The edible flowers also make a beautiful garnish for salads and other dishes.

Arugula performs exceptionally well in herb gardens, vegetable gardens, raised beds, containers, window boxes, and edible landscapes. It thrives during the cool temperatures of spring and fall and can be succession planted every few weeks for an extended harvest season.

In Alberta, Arugula grows vigorously throughout the cooler months, providing quick harvests and excellent flavour from spring through fall.