The Arugula Mediterranean Rocket Salad, Roquette, 'Eruca sativa', is a select variety grown in Italy to maintain the traditional taste and color of Italian Arygula. Descriptions such as hot with a hint of nut flavor, tart, and spicy are used to describe Arugula. Nothing adds such an exciting, interesting flavor and texture to salads as this green. It is most often eaten raw in salads but it is also steamed or added to many other dishes like pizza. The Mediterranean Arugula is also a good container plant.
Arugula, when mature, grow to 2 to 3 feet tall, but the leaves are tastiest and less bitter when harvested 2 to 6 inches long. The flowers are also edible. Plant in early spring, 3 to 4 weeks before the last average frost date and plant successive plantings thereafter every 3 weeks until first fall frost approaches. Rocket Salad Arugula prefers light, fertile, moist, and well drained soil. In warmer climates, delay planting during the heat of the summer.