SPERLI Wilde Rauke

Wild rocket is perennial and regrows after cutting: sow from March to August, harvest from June to October – in sun or partial shade.

The story

Origins & history

Wild rocket comes from the Mediterranean, where it grows along paths, on walls and in rock crevices. Its botanical genus name, Diplotaxis, refers to the two rows of seeds in its pods. For a long time it was a wild herb that people gathered; only in recent decades has it become known throughout Europe as rucola.

Uses

Rocket gives salads, pizza after baking, pasta and carpaccio a peppery note. The young leaves are cut regularly, and the plant then grows back. In a pot, container or raised bed it is always within reach.

Meaning

In Italy rucola is a part of everyday cooking, often gathered fresh from the edge of a field. The name goes back to the Latin “eruca”, which the Romans already used for spicy members of the cabbage family.

A thought for giving

Wild rocket grows even between stones and in cracks in walls. Whoever needs little finds a place to thrive everywhere.

At a glance

• Contents: 1 packet for approx. 15-20 running metres
• Botanical name: Diplotaxis tenuifolia
• Life cycle: perennial
• Position: sunny, partial shade
• Suitable for containers: yes (raised bed, container, pot)
• Sow indoors: all year round
• Sow outdoors: March–August
• Harvest: June–October
• Sowing depth: 0.5–1 cm
• Germination temperature: 15–18 °C
• Germination time: 14–21 days
• Plant spacing: 5 cm
• Row spacing: 20 cm
• Seed type: loose seed

How to sow

1. Sow directly from March to August; sowing in trays on a windowsill is possible all year round.
2. Place the seeds 0.5–1 cm deep in rows 20 cm apart.
3. Keep moist at 15–18 °C – germination takes 14–21 days.
4. Thin to 5 cm in sun or partial shade in a pot, container or raised bed; one portion is enough for 15–20 running metres.

Delivery time: 1–2 weeks. Manufacturer: SPERLI GmbH. Seeds, not a plant – the image shows the original packet.

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