Rocket
Eruca vesicaria
Also called Arugula and Salad rocket
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitHeat makes it bolt and turn fierce. Sow it in the shoulders of the year and cut it young.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 2 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Sun, part shade in high summer
- Feed
- Every 21 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Hardy — an average winter RHS H4, to -10°C
- Size
- 0.75 m tall · 0.05 m across
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Origin
- The Mediterranean
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsNothing recorded against it
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
PeopleNot checked yet
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- A fine peppering of round shot-holes across the first true leaves, and small dark beetles springing away when the row is brushed.Flea beetle · pest
- The new leaves come out narrow and deeply cut and the centre of the rosette pushes up a stem — the leaves turn fiercely hot within days.Bolting · disorder
- Holes eaten from the leaf margins inward overnight in damp weather, with slime on the underside of the leaf.Slugs and snails · pest