Arugula is our first Brassica for #seedsavingformarketgrowers.
I’ve chosen to start with arugula because it is the only crop of the Eruca sativa species. That means it won’t cross with any other Brassicas in your garden. So, you don’t need to worry about isolation distances for this one.
If perchance, you’re growing more than one arugula variety – they can cross with themselves. But why would you grow more than one arugula variety?
And, you can cut your arugula for salad greens, and still get a seed crop!
This makes Arugula a great fit for market growers.
Why arugula is so easy to save seed:
- No isolation distance – nothing to cross with!
- Double harvest – you can get a couple cuts for salad greens and still harvest the seed
- Easily goes to flower and then to seed
- Easy to thresh pods – when they are dry, they easily shatter
- Easy to screen and winnow
- Annual – from seed to seed in 1 season!
The biggest challenge:
Flea beetles!!! But if you’re growing arugula anyway, you already knew that.
YIELD: 5lbs to 10lbs from a 100ft bed
SEED LIFE: 4 to 6 years
You want to read more about ARUGULA seed?
Here are two more Arugula seed articles:
What to do when your arugula look like this!
