When to sow Salad Rocket in the UK
Salad Rocket is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Salad Rocket is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow outdoors | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late February to early September | late March to late October |
| South Coast and Channel | late February to early September | late March to late October |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late February to early September | late March to late October |
| South East and Home Counties | late February to early September | late March to late October |
| East Anglia | late February to early September | late March to late October |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late February to early September | late March to late October |
| Wales and West Coast | late February to early September | late March to late October |
| Northern England | late February to early September | late March to late October |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late February to early September | late March to late October |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late February to early September | late March to late October |
| Northern Ireland | late February to early September | late March to late October |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late February to early September | late March to late October |
Growing notes
Very fast and easy; bolts quickly in hot weather so grow in light shade in summer and sow frequently in small batches.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 15 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 15 cm
- Plants per m²
- 40
- Days to maturity
- 35 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.03 kg
- Sun
- Partial
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 15 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 15 cm
- Balcony rating
- 5 out of 5
Succession sowing
Worth sowing in batches. Sow again every 14 days, up to about 8 sowings in a season, for a longer picking window rather than one glut.
What usually goes wrong
- flea beetle
- bolting in heat
- slugs
Companion planting
Grows well near
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for salad rocket.