Before I knew it, my arugula looked like it was exploding out of the garden bed. I thought, “I think it is time to harvest, but how do I know for sure?”.
Arugula grows very quickly, so in just a few weeks leaves are long and flavors are bold. You can start harvesting as soon as the leaves are at least 3″ long. Young leaves are more mild, but you also don’t want to harvest too late that your plant stops growing and starts to go to seed.
A few tips for harvesting arugula:
- Harvesting can begin when eaves are 3″ long.
- Start cutting from the outside of the plant so that itstay intact and continues growing new leaves.
- Harvest frequently so that the plant does not stop growing and goes to seed
- Eventually, allow at least one arugula plant to flower and go to seed so that it reseeds. Or you can collect the seeds if you want to use them in a different location
My leaves were already 5″+, time to harvest!
Now it is time to enjoy your fresh arugula. I love to make salads, here are two of my favorite recipes from Simply Real Health:
This recipe uses kale, but I sub in arugula or whatever greens that I have on hand. My favorite part is the dressing:
Kale + Sweet Potato Salad with Maple Basil Dressing
This recipe also uses kale, but again, I sub in arugula or other greens:
Shredded Chicken, Kale + Avocado Salad
