Arugula.

A peppery leaf sold young, with two different plants behind one name

Arugula reaches the market as a young leaf in salad and mixed-leaf packs, where its pepperiness is the product. It is a short-cycle crop with quick turnover, and the commercial questions are uniformity, shelf life and how reliably a house can hit a packing schedule.

Two distinct plants are sold under the same name. Garden rocket is the annual species grown for rapid production of a broader, milder leaf. Wild rocket is a different genus with a finer leaf and a stronger flavour, and it behaves differently in cultivation. Contracts and specifications routinely say only rocket, and the two are not interchangeable in either the greenhouse or the pack.

These pages cover garden rocket grown under protection. Wild rocket, field production and cut-and-regrow systems are separate questions, and each changes the density, the harvest method and the layout enough that it belongs in the brief rather than being assumed.

DutchGreenhouses® designs the structure, climate, screening and irrigation around the leaf being grown and the pack it is destined for, rather than around a shared common name. Get in touch to discuss an arugula project.