I call it Rocket. Treat is much as you would treat coriander - more a cool-climate plant, or a winter plant in warmer areas.

Best grown from seed, planted in consecutive sowings, because it tends to Âbolt to seed, especially in warm weather. It self-seeds readily, although seed is sometimes slow to germinate. Soak seeds in warm water for 6-8 hours before sowing. Ideal temperature for germination is 4-14°C. Seeds germinate in 5-7 days.Plant very shallow and keep soil moist until seedlings emerge. Grow in full sun and water well. Evenly moist soil will help slow bolting. In warmer areas, it is best grown during winter or in partial shade. It prefers moist, fertile soil, pH 6.0-6.8 but will tolerate a wide pH range. Leaves gradually alter in appearance, to become feathery, indicating that the plant is about to flower. Once the flowers appear, the growing season is over. Tolerates some frost. Do not plant near members of the Brassica family such as cabbage and broccoli. Successive planting every 2-3 weeks will ensure a plentiful and continuous supply.

I find that wild rocket is less bolt prone than the broad leaved version and self seeds even more easily. It needs cool weather and plenty of moisture but otherwise is very easy to grow. In my garden it happily grows in the cool shade of the runner beans and many plants overwinter to flower and self sow the next spring. Sometimes it gets flea beetle. I grow it amongst other brassicas because I have no other space. I am assuming that the advice to keep them apart is based on their harbouring the same pests.

I love arugula. I've been growing it for many years. I allow it to self-seed, which it does readily. Arugula is clasified as a pot herb, which I believe puts it in the category of greens such as mustard and collard.

When I lived in California, I could grow argula in a winter garden. Here in New Mexico, arugula will overwinter, but will not grow during winter. It stays green, but doesn't produce any new leaves until spring.

I made some pork sausage chili (no tomatoes) the other day, to which I added large leaves of arugula. I steamed the leaves on top of the chili for twenty minutes. I served my chili with greens on top of linguini with shredded mozarella. It was absolutely delicious. I also use the mature leaves in stir fry, and cooked bean dishes. (A French friend taught me that greens can be a nice addition to beans.) I use baby argula leaves in sandwiches and salads.

I bought an arugula plant here in South Florida because I thought it'd be a great additional to salads and other dishes. I accidentally killed it shortly after buying it, so I bought another plant and then it rained pretty heavily for about a week and I believe it nearly drowned to death.

It has since made a VERY VERY slow and weak comback, but it seems to be hanging on. I have now realized it is a sensitive plant.

I am going to try moving mine underneath the shade of a tree and see if that helps any. I'm hoping I can at least hang onto it for the next couple months until winter rolls around because I think it might do fine in the winter.

good tip about shade ohillaryo. i've been trying this summer to grow arugula. i had a good start but then the plant seemed to have stopped growing. i have it in full sun so i'm going to try the shade as well. here are some arugula recipes if you're interested.

Here is a link that might be useful: arugula recipes

I don't have much advice about growing it in very warm climates, but I have noticed that it retains its taste and continues to produce leaves in warm weather, even after it flowers. And the flowers are tasty! It's not like lettuce, which tastes awful after it bolts, or cilantro/coriander, which gets stringy and sparse. Radicchio is another green that turns bitter after a few weeks of warm weather, even if it doesn't flower.

I don't have growing experience with arugula, but can attest that some baby arugula here is spectacular... the kind you nibble out of the bag on the way home from the market... but have had other arugula that is just nastily bitter (I think as it ages a bit).

This is just to say, maybe be careful of the varieties you plant, and note the taste as the leaves age, so that you get what you want instead of something that doesn't work for you.

I'm a couple of hours to the east of you (I'm in Raleigh) and I can only grow Arugula/Rocket during the winter. I try to sow some in the early fall and then I sow some again around Thanksgiving and can pretty much pick leaves on it, spinach and lettuce from then until May or sometimes June. I grow them all in a large cold frame that for the most part gets left open most of the winter.

I love arugula too. Second year growing it and we have been growing it year around. I planted some this summer using my own collected seeds from my last crop. Planted in the shade in a little cooler/shady courtyard we have and it is doing well. I did not soak the seeds but I am glad I read this, I will do it next time to try to improve my germination rate. I think it tends to bolt faster in the heat.

Daisyduckworth, why is it not advisable to grow arugula with brassicas? I did it on one bed and it was fine, but I wonder if it could have done better. Is is a pest issue or do they stunt each other?

I first had Ruccola (Arugula) in Germany. I took a vacation to Sud-Tirol Italy and it was a very common item in the cuisine: salads, sandwiches, panini, pizza, linguine, etc. My favorite way to eat Ruccola is sprinkled with romano shavings, olive oil, cracked black pepper, sea salt, and sliced roma tomatoes. The olive oil, black pepper, and sea salt compliment the spiciness of the leaves. In regards to growing it in the US, Im in Augusta GA and have thus far been unsuccessful at growing it, but I had trouble with cilantro also up until this year when I planted it in an outdoor planter after Thanksgiving and it is doing well. I just planted 1 1/2 packets of Arugula seed today and its Mid-January, maybe it will do better this time, as my Cilantro has. I will write back and let you know how it works out.

You could try growing it under shade cloth, as people here sometimes do with lettuce in summer.