Salad Rocket

Description

Easy to grow with a peppery taste, can be grown all year round.

Sow undercover from February to September, sowing sparingly into seed trays filled with compost, seeds need a light covering of compost for germination which can be very quick. February sowings may benefit from some warmth but not higher than 18-20 degrees. Seeds like an aerated soil, so don’t overwater ( one of the main causes of germination failure) and perhaps if you have some, mix the compost with some vermiculite or perlite to aid with aeration. Prick out when seedlings are large enough to handle into individual modules, bury the seedling up to its first leaves, water in and leave and grow on. Keep the compost moist but not wet. At this point the seedlings can be left to grow on until they have a strong root growth and have a few sets of leaves. Plant into final position with 20cm spacing in-between each seedling. From sowing to planting out will be approx 6 weeks so seedlings planted out at this stage will also benefit from a fleece covering if the weather is still susceptible to frosts ( they are quite tolerant of cold).

Seeds can be sown outside from March, in which case will need to be sown thinly in shallow drills in prepared soil, covered with a fine layer of compost and kept moist. Sowing made in the later part of the year stand well through the colder months covered by fleece or inside a greenhouse or poly tunnel.