ROCKET
Something of a standard addition to salads these days, rocket has a unique flavour. We show how easy it is to cultivate, whether growing it in the open ground or in containers
SOW:
April-September
HARVEST:
June-December
GROWING IN POTS
Like other salad leaf plants, rocket can be grown in a range of containers. You can even plant rocket in the compost left in growing bags at the end of the tomato season, but they can also be grown in pots or window boxes to make an attractive, leafy display. Ensure the compost is 10cm (4in) deep and don’t let it dry out as this may well cause your plants to bolt.
Gone are the days when salads were made up of a few ‘Little Gem’ lettuce leaves next to the usual suspects: cucumber, tomato, spring onion and beetroot. Nothing wrong with that but these days most don’t seem to be happy unless their salad plate has an array of different flavours and colours, including oriental mustards, ‘Lollo Rossa’ lettuce, watercress and, of course, rocket. But rocket is not just for salads – use it to make pesto, and add it to pasta dishes, stir-fries and soups too.