Rocket
Eruca vesicaria
A vegetable, sown February to September.
In September: pick a few rocket leaves at a time and cover it with a cloche or fleece. It can be sown under cover, sown outdoors or planted out now.
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Rocket, month by month
Bar: the usual months. Sprout: this month.
| Sowing, planting or job | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2027Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow under cover. | usual | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | usual |
| Sow outdoors. | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Plant out. | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Sow another batch of rocket. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Pick a few rocket leaves at a time. | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual |
| Cover the rocket with a cloche or fleece. | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none |
What to do, and when
The usual months for a UK garden. Your own plan gives the week.
Sowing and planting
Sow under cover February to March, and August to September, 5mm deep. Strong source: RHS. Weaker source for the depth: DIY Garden.
Sow outdoors April to September, 0.5cm deep, 15cm apart, rows 15cm apart. Strong sources: RHS and Mr Fothergill’s.
Plant out April to September, 15cm apart. Strong source: RHS.
Sow another batch of rocket
Gardeners call this successional sowing.
Sow a small batch of salad rocket every few weeks for continuous harvests.
Usually March to August. Strong source: RHS.
Pick a few rocket leaves at a time
Gardeners call this cut-and-come-again harvesting.
Usually June to November. Strong source: RHS.
Cover the rocket with a cloche or fleece
Fleece keeps the cold off, so you can keep picking until the first frosts.
Usually September to November. Moderate source: Gardeners’ World.
What the source words mean
Strong: the RHS page for this plant is among them.Moderate: another trusted UK source, or the RHS on its group.Weaker: a blog, a forum, a small website or a page from outside the UK. Treat it as a guide.
Every line above names the page it comes from. Where we found no good source for a job, we left it out. Where the name “Rocket” comes from.