Harvesting Arugula Is Easy
The method I use for harvesting arugula and cut-and-come again varieties of lettuce is super simple. Follow these three rules of thumb when cutting leaves for a quick and easy harvest:
- Harvest the outside lower leaves first.
- Cut all the way down to the base of the plant.
- Never cut more than a third of a plan't leaves at one time.
Grab a strainer and a clean pair of needle nose pruners or some regular ol' kitchen scissors—you don't want anything too big or intense, or you might end up cutting too much of the plant—and let's get harvesting!
Arugula Harvest Rule Number One
Harvest the Older, Outer Arugula Leaves First
Cut-and-come-again varieties always grow from the center of the plant. You'll find baby leaves coming up right from the heart of the plant, and you want to avoid cutting these leaves when you're harvesting. Instead, cut from the older leaves growing on the outer parts of the plant. Work your way around the exterior of each plant to take these more mature leaves, and leave the interior of the plant to keep growing.
The bigger arugula leaves get, the spicier they taste, so that means you need to come around and harvest those more mature leaves frequently. Doing so will encourage the plant to produce more tender, fresh leaves from the center of the plant.
Arugula Harvest Rule Number Two
Cut All the Way to the Base of the Plant for Each Leaf
Nothing new is going to grow from the stems that you cut, so instead of leaving long stems, cut each leaf down at the base of the plant.
Think of each cut you make as a new wound on the plant. You don't want to leave a bunch of visible wounds that could invite pests and disease. Cutting from the outer leaves at the base of the plant is the cleanest way to harvest.
Arugula Harvest Rule Number Three
Never Harvest More Than a Third of the Plant's Leaves at Any Given Time
The last rule of thumb when you're harvesting arugula or any cut-and-come-again variety is to avoid cutting more than a third of the plant's leaves within a one- to two-week period. If a plant only has nine leaves, don't cut off more than three, even if they're small.
Remember that the leaves are what allow the plant to turn sunlight into food and continue growing. Taking too many leaves at once prevents the plant from being able to make food for itself. Double check whenever you're harvesting that you're leaving enough leaves for the plant to continue its growth.
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It's Arugula Harvest Time!
Since I plant lots of arugula in thick bands across my raised beds, I go around to different plants when I harvest and take just a couple leaves from each. When I revisit those plants in a couple of weeks, their center leaves will be grown in and ready to harvest. And I do it all over again. This is literally why they call these plants cut-and-come-again—it's magical!
You'll get to harvest from these plants at least two to three times more before the plants go to seed. If you notice older plants looking spent, plant some more arugula seeds to keep the harvest party going.
Growing low-maintenance salad greens like arugula and lettuce and harvesting from them this way is how I learned to garden. Even now, these leafy greens are my favorite thing to grow in the garden. I just can't get enough of them, and I hope you love (or are learning to love) them too!
