How about some bite to your salad? Grow arugula, a member of the mustard family. It is not related to lettuce but is frequently in packages of musclun seed as a salad green. It gives a salad a bit of peppery or slightly bitter taste that is very pleasant, especially with a sweet dressing. Like other greens, it is low in calories (four calories/cup) and high in vitamins A and C. The leaves look like those of dandelion but they are tender and tastier. You can pick the leaves as you need them and the plants will grow new ones, just like lettuce. If the plant flowers, use the blossoms in the salad too. Don’t like salad? Take heart, arugula is also used in pizza and pasta dishes and is also considered an aphrodisiac. It is definitely a cool weather crop and will bolt when the summer heat begins so start it in early spring.
Type: Annual.
Bloom: Small (1-1 ½”) white flowers are borne in clusters in summer.
Foliage: Deeply pinnately lobed green leaves.
Size: 8-30” height.
Light: Full sun.
Soil: Fertile, moist but well-drained.
Fertilizer: Can apply a side dressing of high nitrogen fertilizer if leaves appear yellow.
Pests and Diseases: None of importance.
Propagation: Seed.
Karen Meyers