How to Select Seeds and Grow Seedlings for Arugula? A Detailed Guide

Arugula can be considered a well-known wild vegetable; its stems and leaves are eaten as a vegetable, its seeds can be pressed for oil, and it also has potential medicinal value, making it very popular in the market. Nowadays, as people pay more and more attention to healthy living, the cultivation of arugula is gradually rising, and many farmers are making use of idle space around their homes to grow it themselves. So how do you select arugula seeds? What seedling-raising methods are there? Let's take a look!

How do you select arugula seeds?

The main varieties of arugula include curly-leaf arugula, flat-leaf arugula, Northeast arugula, wild arugula, and others. Among them, the curly-leaf variety is currently the most commonly grown type of arugula; the curly leaf type has deeply lobed, pinnate leaves that are dark green, with a longer growing period and better flavor. Therefore, except in certain specific situations, it is recommended that everyone choose curly-leaf arugula when selecting seeds, though the specific choice should also be based on planting conditions and the growing environment.

Arugula seedling-raising methods

1. Sowing

Arugula is generally planted in May, and the seedlings emerge in early May. By early June, the upper part of the arugula begins to branch. Then it flowers and sets fruit in July and August, and generally in late July the seeds mature in batches.

2. Seedling raising

During the seedling stage of arugula, a great deal of effort must be put into care, and we need to water regularly to keep the soil moist. Arugula generally uses the nutrient-medium seedling-raising method. First, it saves labor and time; second, the seedlings emerge evenly. First prepare the medium by mixing peat, vermiculite, and cow dung in a ratio of 15:5:1, stirring repeatedly. After the nutrient medium is evenly mixed, let it sit for two days to allow the medium to ferment naturally and become more thoroughly decomposed.

3. Transplanting

When the arugula seedlings reach a height of about 6-8 cm, the grown seedlings can be transplanted, which is about 15 days after sowing the arugula. Before transplanting, the land needs to be selected first; it is best to plant in a plot that is loose, fertile, and has good watering and drainage capacity.

4. Management

When the arugula seedlings have grown about three leaves, you can thin and set the seedlings, and at the same time remove the weeds in the field. After thinning, according to the growth of the arugula seedlings, apply an appropriate amount of nitrogen fertilizer; generally about once a week, some fertilizer should be applied. One week before harvesting the arugula, fertilizer no longer needs to be applied. In addition, arugula likes water, and during its growing period the soil should be kept moist; except on rainy days, water should be sprayed on the arugula in all other weather.

Arugula is not picky about soil and has strong disease resistance, and it also grows quickly, making planting and management relatively simple. However, because few people grow it and there is little experience with it, it should not be planted blindly.

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