How to grow arugula at home?

The Mediterranean is considered the birthplace of arugula. This spice was used in ancient Rome, and later it was eagerly used by culinary specialists of French and English cuisines. Egyptians prefer to add herb to bean dishes and salads, while Italians use arugula leaves for pizza toppings, risottos and salads.

How to grow arugula on the windowsill, we will consider in detail below. Eruka, indau, caterpillar, walker - these are all names of the annual arugula plant.

Plant varieties also differ in appearance. Some of them have yellow flowers and oblong serrated leaves, others with white flowers and dissected leaves. The whole plant is used for food: seeds, flowers and leaves.

Beneficial features

The healing qualities are preserved if the eruku is torn into small particles, and not cut with a knife.

1. Arugula leaves contain a lot of dietary fiber, vitamins, essential oils, trace elements, citric and malic acids, tannins, pectin compounds, antioxidants.
2. Thanks to this chemical composition, it improves the functioning of the intestines, normalizes metabolism, strengthens the immune system, reduces inflammation, strengthens blood vessels, has a positive effect on male potency, and slows down the development of cancerous tumors.
3. Arugula salad is included in the menu by those who have decided to lose weight. The herb is low in calories, contains a lot of fiber and vitamins, the feeling of hunger disappears for a long time.
4. Arugula is a substitute for salt in many dishes.
5. The use of Indau on fasting days normalizes metabolism, removes toxins and toxins.
6. The herb leaf oil reduces brittle nails and softens the skin.
7. Provides assistance with problems with potency in men.
8. Hair masks with arugula decoction or oil reduce breakage and give hair strength and natural shine.

Healing properties

Due to its unique composition, Indau is also used as an additional remedy in the treatment of certain diseases. Properties:

• promotes wound healing;
• strengthens the walls of blood vessels;
• normalizes blood pressure;
• reduces cholesterol;
• improves metabolism;
• regulates water-salt balance;
• raises hemoglobin;
• has a sedative and calming effect;
• lowers blood sugar;
• helps the body fight infections.

Harmful properties

Unfortunately, in addition to benefits, arugula can also harm the body. Due to the content of phytoncides in the grass, severe allergic reactions are possible.

You should not use eruka for diseases:

• liver;
• gastritis;
• urolithiasis;
• gout;
• colitis.

Contraindicated in Indau and pregnant women.

How to grow arugula on the balcony?

All year round, lettuce leaves can be grown on a glazed balcony if the temperature is more than 10 degrees. She grows well in such conditions. For planting, you need to take a container, box or pot and sow seeds to a depth of 1.5 cm. To properly cultivate a plant on a balcony, you need to know how to grow arugula on a windowsill.

Indau has a high germination capacity of seeds, therefore, when planting, they should not be laid out often. Seedlings appear on the 5th day. The seedling method is used to save seeds. The plantings are made more thickened, so that later they can be thinned and made a salad. The harvest ripens in a month.

When growing grass on the balcony, it is important to remember:

• do not use fertilizers, nitrates are quickly absorbed into greens;
• growing arugula requires moderate watering; excess water makes the leaves bitter;
• make the distance between plants 8 cm, then the taste will improve;
• will grow well if the balcony faces the sunny side;
• the best temperature for growing is 18 degrees;
• the leaves are ready to eat when the bush reaches a height of 10 cm.

How to grow arugula at home on a windowsill

Any kind of grass is taken as a planting material. Early ripening varieties will delight you with a harvest in 20 days, and mid-ripening and late varieties - in 30–40 days, respectively.

In boxes or trays, make a drainage layer of pebbles, broken brick or expanded clay. Take the earth slightly alkaline or neutral. The soil calcined at a high temperature from under pumpkin or leguminous plants, taken from a summer cottage, is ideal. Alternatively, you can use boiling water or a solution of potassium permanganate. After disinfection, the soil should stand for 10-14 days. You can prepare the soil yourself, for this, in the proportions of 2: 1: 2, they take turfy soil, sand and humus.

On moistened and slightly compacted soil, make rows or small holes. Put seeds in them at a distance of three centimeters and sprinkle with a layer of earth one centimeter.

Leaving, harvesting

Water from a spray bottle so as not to wash out the soil. After sowing, the boxes are covered with polyethylene film and placed in the dark. The optimum temperature at which the cultivation of arugula is considered ideal is 18 degrees. When the first shoots appear, usually on the 5-6th day, the film coating is removed. Weak and diseased plants are thrown away. The trays are transferred to a well-lit windowsill and moved closer to the glass. The herb is a light-loving plant. If the windows face the north side, then they make illumination from fluorescent lamps, which are placed at a height of 60 cm. Water it once every two days. Top dressing is not required. The eruk plant is very delicate, so it should be protected from drafts and not open the vents on the windows where the boxes are located.

In about a month, juicy greens with an unusual taste will appear in your kitchen. Leaves from 10 cm high are cut off. The size of the leaves is important, since small leaves contain a large amount of bitterness.

"How to grow arugula on a windowsill in winter?" - ask the question of lovers of this greenery. The only difference between growing grass in winter is the extension of daylight hours by 4-6 hours.

It's so easy to grow eruka at home. Greens do not stay in the refrigerator for more than six days. For long-term storage, it is washed, dried and frozen in the freezer. There will always be fresh herbs on the table if you plant small amounts of Indau every two weeks.

Pests and diseases

How to grow arugula on a windowsill to use its health-promoting properties and protect yourself from disease? You must follow certain rules for caring for her.

Indau contains a large amount of essential oils. No pests affect her. The smell of essential oils will scare away harmful insects from other plants that are near it.But it is not protected from fungal diseases that affect the roots due to high soil moisture. The disease manifests itself with wilting of the stems, and white bubbles appear on the roots. Affected greens are destroyed, the disease is incurable.

Trying to experiment

Increasingly, one can see in houses how arugula grows on the windowsill; growing from seeds does not require special conditions to obtain a harvest. This amazing plant feels equally well not only on balconies and windowsills, but also outdoors.

After the flowering of the eruka, seeds are formed, which are sown into the soil and the next year they give new shoots, so there is no need to plant it annually in summer cottages. You can try to leave the seeds, wait until the arugula sprouts on the windowsill, growing from seeds in this case will not require any effort at all.

Indau cultivation is not difficult due to the unpretentiousness of the plant. Greens have an exquisite and piquant taste that reveals the possibilities and subtleties of well-known products in a different way. How to grow arugula on the windowsill so that the green garden is always at hand is described in this article.

How to grow arugula at home

The annual rucola plant (eruka salad, rocket salad, sowing caterpillar, arugula) belongs to the early ripening vegetables of the cabbage family. This type of leafy vegetable garden, which has become especially popular recently due to its exquisite unusual taste and super health benefits, came to us from the Mediterranean coast. Today, rucola is successfully used not only in the Mediterranean, but also in the cuisines of many continents and countries (America, Asia, Europe).

Benefits of arugula

Rucola leaves spice up any dish, be it fresh vegetable salad, pasta sauce, meat dishes or risotto. The delicate nutty-mustard flavor of the plant is due to the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids and essential oils. Eating arugula in food has a beneficial effect on metabolic processes, tones the body, stimulates digestion, enhances intestinal motility and the elimination of decay products. Thanks to its unique composition, the herb increases hemoglobin levels and activates the immune system.

Not everyone has garden plots, but many would like to regularly feast on this greenery, so in this article we will try to illuminate the question of how to grow arugula at home. A trendy salad is quite unpretentious and does not require special agronomic skills and knowledge. Just follow the advice of seasoned gardeners, and you will be assured of an excellent harvest of fragrant leaves at any time of the year.

Greenery on the windowsill:

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How to grow arugula on a windowsill

Arugula seeds are bought at any specialty store. Early ripening varieties Koltivata, Solitaire, Rococo give a harvest quickly enough (after about three weeks), and mid-ripening varieties - Corsica, Sicily ripen in 30-35 days. Different varieties differ not only in the emergence time, but also in the size, shape and color of the leaves, as well as the taste, which can be delicate nutty, with bitterness or spicy.

Pot and soil preparation

To grow arugula on the windowsill, a pot, like any other container, must have a drainage layer (expanded clay, broken brick) and holes to remove excess moisture. The dimensions of the container for a mini-garden are selected based on the area of ​​the window sill. The height of the pot should not be less than 12 cm. The soil layer is covered with a height of at least 6-7 cm.

Arugula is unassuming and undemanding to the soil, the main thing is that the earth is sufficiently loose, moisture-permeable and always moist.The soil can be used universal, or it can be specially designed for seedlings. Such soil contains phosphorus and nitrogen in the right proportions, which has a beneficial effect on the growth and development of any plants, including arugula.

Sowing arugula

The seeds are laid out in rows on the surface of a well-moistened earth, observing a step of 3 cm. On top of them, they are covered with a layer of dry earth (1-1.5 cm), after which the soil is qualitatively treated with warm, settled water from a sprayer. This initial watering method helps to distribute moisture evenly over the entire soil surface.

The box (container) should be covered with any film or glass and placed in a warm place, for example, near a heating battery, or directly on the windowsill, especially if it is sunny days. Rucola feels great at a fairly wide temperature range (from + 10 ° C to + 25 ° C).

Illumination

In order to properly grow arugula on the windowsill, the windows should face the sunny side, since all leafy greens love the maximum amount of light. If you do not have the opportunity to set up a mini-garden on a south-facing window, then lighting can also be created artificially, which will not affect the yield in any way.

Above the surface of the plants at a distance of about half a meter, you can attach lighting devices, such as fluorescent lamps. In winter and in cloudy weather, supplementary lighting should be carried out all day. The rest of the time, for the normal development of greenery, it is enough to increase the daylight hours by several hours.

Arugula care

Do not forget to moisten the soil with a spray bottle every day, removing the film and airing the plantings. The first shoots appear very quickly (3-7 days), which is a signal to remove the protective coating and place the container in its permanent place.

Now the whole process of caring for your green pets comes down to regular watering. The plant very quickly absorbs all substances from the soil, so it is not recommended to feed with various chemical substrates.

Arugula harvest

When the leaves reach a height of 10 cm, you can begin to actively feast on the spicy grass. Do not wait until it blooms, as in the photo at the beginning of the article :) Harvested as needed, immediately before adding to culinary dishes (this is how all the nutrients are preserved to the maximum), tearing off the green leaves of the original corrugated shape. With even, gentle cutting off, rucola can delight you with its greens for up to 45 days!

As you can see, it will not be difficult to grow arugula on the windowsill. You just have to decide on this crucial step and in a month you will enjoy the magnificent appearance and taste of this exotic spice.

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Mila Nabogova "How to grow arugula at home" specially for the Eco-life website.

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Any person's diet should include at least 70% vegetables. Fresh herbs are a good addition, the chemical composition of which is rich in valuable vitamins and minerals. Arugula is considered one of the popular salad components, but when grown in summer cottages, it is rarely possible to get a product with an exquisite spicy nutty taste. The whole secret lies in agricultural technology, the rules of planting and care, which will be discussed in this article.

What is arugula and what does it look like

The plant is a kind of salad, belongs to the Indau genus of the cabbage family. Initially, greens were considered a weed, but later they added to the lists of vegetable crops grown in our country. The demand for the product began to grow after the popularization of Mediterranean cuisine.

The culture has a short growing season, which allows you to grow greens in the open field throughout the warm period. When cultivated in a greenhouse or on a windowsill, the crop grows year-round, in spring and winter.

Arugula contains rich vitamin composition, which includes:

• ascorbic acid;
• vitamins B, E, PP, K;
• essential oils;
• flavonoids;
• vegetable acids (erucic, oleic, linoleic, etc.);
• steroids and other substances.

Arugula leaves are high in vitamins

Regular consumption of greens has the following effect on the body:

• strengthens the protective function of the body;
• normalizes metabolic processes;
• calms the nervous system;
• lowers blood cholesterol levels;
• increases hemoglobin.

And this is an incomplete list of the merits of arugula, so it is often include in dietary and medical food.

Timing for sowing rucola in the open field

You can sow arugula several times per season, starting from April to August... It is important that the earth has time to warm up to 9-14 degrees. If planted in cold soil, the process of germination and seedling development is inhibited.

In the south and in the middle lane, you can sow from April 15. In northern regions it is recommended to use greenhouse or seedling cultivation.

Grains for seedlings need to be planted from late March to early April... No preliminary preparation for the seeds is required, they already have good germination. The seedlings are grown in pots, boxes or cups.

Arugula seeds

Seedlings appear 4-6 days after sowing. When 2 true leaves are formed on the sprouts, you need dive seedlings into separate containers (plastic cups or peat pots). The grown shoots are transferred to an open bed together with an earthen lump so as not to damage the root system.

After germination of seedlings, it is necessary to thin out the planting, leaving at first 5 cm between the shoots, and then, increasing the distance to 10 cm. The thickening has a negative effect on the taste of the salad.

The most suitable varieties for growing in the country or in the garden

The assortment of varieties complicates the choice when determining the variety to grow on your site. When buying, you should familiarize yourself with a brief description of the plants and the features of their agricultural technology.

Arrows of Cupid

Plant with average ripening period, the growing season lasts 36-38 days... The bush reaches a height of 20-30 cm, forming a raised rosette of narrow long leaves. During flowering, light yellow inflorescences of small sizes appear.

Features of the variety: consistently gives a high yield, the external similarity of the culture with dandelion.

Arugula Cupid's Arrows

Curiosity

The variety ripens in about a month (vegetation 28-30 days). The height of the bush reaches 20 cm, the stem is erect with a small edge. The plant blooms in small cream-colored inflorescences.

Taste qualities of the leaves are distinguished by a sweetish aftertaste and lack of bitterness.

Arugula Curiosity

Poker

Plant early ripening period, the growing season lasts only 21-25 days... Rich green leaves of large size, in one rosette there are about 20-26 pieces. The height of the bush is about 20 cm.

The arugula is sweetish to taste with a mustard hint. The seed remains germinating for 4 years.

Arugula Poker

Olivette

Plant early ripening period, the growing season lasts only 20-25 days... The height of the bush does not exceed 16-20 cm. The leaves are lyre-shaped, slightly rounded. The variety is perennial.

The advantages of the plant: high yield, good transportability, high taste, which are distinguished by a pronounced nutty note and a slight bitterness.

Arugula Olivette

Rules for planting a vegetable in the garden

In order for the arugula to fill with a rich green color and acquire a pleasant nutty flavor, it is necessary to strictly follow the rules of agricultural technology, in particular, planting in open ground.

Seed preparation before sowing

Arugula seeds should be purchased from specialized stores. When buying from hands, you need to hold seed disinfection... For this, the grains are immersed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 15 minutes.After the procedure, you need to thoroughly rinse them under running water and dry them on a towel.

Other treatments to stimulate growth are not carried out, as the arugula seed grows well enough.

Preparing the soil for arugula

When choosing a place for a garden bed for arugula, it should be borne in mind that the plant does not like shade or direct sunlight... Therefore, it is worth choosing a site that is in the shade for one half of the day, and in the sun for the second. Ideally, if the plants are in partial shade at midday.

Landing site should be limited from direct sunlight

The soil for the salad will do fertile, loose with a neutral medium or slightly acidic... The following predecessors are welcome: carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkin. Sowing arugula after: cabbage, turnips, daikon, radish and other cruciferous crops is not recommended.

Before planting, the soil can be enriched with calcium by introducing dolomite flour, chalk or other means into it.

What scheme to choose for planting in open ground

Sowing is carried out in prepared holes with a depth of 2 cm.The spacing between rows during transplantation is observed in 30-40 cm, between the holes - 5 cm... 2-3 seeds are embedded in each hole. A week later, it is necessary to thin out the beds, increasing the interval between plants to 10-15 cm.

Leaving after disembarkation

Temperature

The air temperature is considered optimal for the growing season. 14-18 degrees... With a reduced indicator, plant development is inhibited.

The culture will survive a sharp drop in temperature to minus 7 degrees, but provided that the cold is short-lived. If frost occurs after sowing, then it is necessary to build a shelter made of plastic wrap.

Watering the plant

The soil should always be moist in the arugula beds, so irrigation is carried out regularly. Watering mode: 3-4 times a week.

Watering is carried out 3-4 times a week

With the prevailing heat, you need to moisten the soil daily. Due to the lack of moisture, the leaves acquire a bitter taste, and the plant itself releases color.

Arugula loves moisture, but watering should be controlled. Water stagnation in the upper layers of the soil must not be allowed.

Weeding and loosening

For normal vegetation, the plant requires loose soil, therefore, after each watering or every other time, you should push the ground with a hoe or horn.

Weeding is performed simultaneously with this procedure. Weeds thicken the planting, which provokes the development of fungal diseases, attracting pests. In addition, the proximity to weeds can negatively affect the taste of arugula.

Top dressing

The soil for sowing lettuce should be well fertilized. Then for the entire growing season you will need only 1-2 feeding.

Complex mineral compositions should not be introduced, because in a short time the toxins accumulated in the leaves will not have time to decompose. It is better to use a solution of chicken manure or rotted manure along with irrigation water. Nitrogen fertilizers are also suitable.

It is best to use a solution of chicken manure as a fertilizer.

Pests and prevention

Arugula leaves contain a large amount of essential oils, their aroma repels many pests... However, this does not protect against fungal infectionsthat grow well in a humid environment - soil.

When the root system is damaged, the stem begins to fade gradually. On the roots with a fungal disease, small brown bubbles are formed. When the first signs of the disease are detected, it is necessary to remove the bush from the garden, and treat the soil with antifungal drugs.

Arugula leaves can only be damaged cruciferous fleas, lovers of radishes and different types of salad. If you cover the seedlings with lutrasil, then the pest will go looking for food elsewhere.

Also, for prevention purposes, it is recommended to sprinkle the beds with wood ash.

Harvesting greens

Arugula is harvested with a leaf length of about 10 cm

Those who have already had experience in growing arugula know that when the plant is overexposed in the garden, the leaves become hard and bitter in taste. Therefore, you need to harvest on time, should not be postponed.

One of the signs of ripeness is the length of the leaf, it should reach not less than 10 cm... After the ejection of the peduncle, the taste of the lettuce deteriorates.

Large rosettes are cut off completely, other bushes are cut off partially. It is better to use the leaves fresh for cooking. In the refrigerator, the harvest, wrapped in cling film, can only lie for a few days.

To summarize, it is worth noting that growing arugula is fun and easy. Adhering to the general rules for caring for a plant, you can enrich the body with useful microelements, strengthen immunity and even rejuvenate the skin.

You can plant and grow arugula not only in the country or in the garden, but also at home - on the windowsill or balcony. The main thing is to familiarize yourself with compatibility with other plants, plant seeds according to the rules and maintain the required temperature at home.

Green vegetable plants in your daily diet are an important part of a healthy diet. Parsley, lettuce, young nettles, watercress, and arugula, consisting of a huge amount of vitamins and useful elements, have become popular in cooking for a long time. Many housewives use these gifts of nature to prepare delicious salads, sauces and many other dishes. But still, arugula is the most valuable product of all green vegetables in terms of its composition.

This plant, which has long been known, has other names - arugula, indau, eruka, rocket, caterpillar. Each country may have its own name for arugula, but it is always present in the most famous and popular restaurants and cafes. French, Italian and Turkish cooks consider this salad plant to be the strongest aphrodisiac, and this is another reason to use it in their culinary arts.

The beneficial properties of arugula are explained by its rich composition of macro and microelements - potassium, zinc, iodine, iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium, copper, manganese, selenium. It tones the human body, increases efficiency, increases hemoglobin, restores water-salt balance, relieves swelling, has a beneficial effect on reproductive function, normalizes metabolism and increases lactation in nursing mothers.

Growing arugula at home

Since arugula belongs to cabbage plants, its main pest is the cruciferous flea, which makes it impossible to grow greens in open beds. And other harmful insects are not averse to feasting on this green grass in large quantities and at great speed. For this reason, gardeners do not risk growing arugula in their backyards, but on the windowsill it can be done much easier and more efficiently. Growing requires seed material, which can be purchased at specialty stores, and a little patience and perseverance.

The choice of planting capacity

Seeds are recommended to be planted in shallow containers, flower pots, or plastic or wood boxes. For convenience, you need to choose the size of the container that fits well on the windowsill.

The soil

In terms of acidity, the soil mixture should be slightly acidic or neutral. For arugula, purchased soil mixes are suitable, which are intended for growing seedlings or for indoor flowers, as well as forest soils. But it is not recommended to take garden land because of the risk of bringing in a fungal or infectious disease. If possible, you can prepare such a mixture yourself. You need to take one part of clean sand and two parts of humus and turf soil.

Lighting

Light-loving plants should not be grown during a short daylight period, since due to a lack of light, they will begin to stretch out strongly. The optimal time for planting is early spring.

Seed planting methods

Experienced vegetable growers advise sowing seeds on the surface of compacted wet soil (without deepening). Planting material can be scattered randomly or in rows. Sprinkle the seeds on top with a thin layer of soil mixture and compact a little more with a wooden spatula. Then the container with seeds is covered with a dense transparent film and transferred to a dark room until shoots appear. This will happen about 5-7 days after planting, after which the film must be removed, and the planting containers must be transferred to a windowsill with good lighting.

Watering

Watering is carried out 3-4 times a week. To maintain constant moisture in the soil, it is recommended to create greenhouse conditions for the plants. A small greenhouse can be built over the plantings using a compact frame.

Thinning

Approximately 7-10 days after the seedlings appear, the first thinning is carried out. Weak plants need to be removed. They can already be used for food. The quality of each stem of arugula depends on the density of plantings.

Harvesting

The crop can be harvested 2-3 times, if each pruning is "sparing". The first full-fledged crop will ripen within a month after the first shoots appear.

Arugula on the windowsill - these are vitamins, trace elements and huge health benefits for all family members.

Arugula on the windowsill (video)