The Vegetable Garden Favorite You Shouldn't Buy As A Seedling (& What To Do Instead)

For a certain type of person, the lure of the garden center veggie seedling is almost irresistible. They have so much potential without pests or seed trays or the threat of mass death as a result of your forgetting to open the greenhouse vent one day. The lure gets stronger as the growing season moves on. "There's no time for seed starts now," you say to yourself. "You're a genius ... Buy the seedlings," you answer.

Sara Rubens, as a kitchen garden designer and coach and the owner of Seed to Sanctuary, understands, but she thinks you should consider growing some things from seed anyway. And one of those things is arugula. "Growing from seed gives you control over the variety you want," Rubens told House Digest in an exclusive conversation, "including different flavors and leaf shapes, rather than being limited to what's available as seedlings."

Starting arugula from seed addresses a concern you might have about buying seedlings: the expense. "Starting from seed is cost-effective, allowing you to grow a large crop for a relatively low investment," Rubens explained. And it takes care of one of the main motivations for buying seedlings — shortening the time to harvest. For arugula, the best time to harvest can come in as little as 20 days, depending on your variety. "Arugula seeds also germinate quickly, often within just a few days, so you can enjoy a fast harvest," she explained, "which is great for succession planting and continuous fresh greens throughout the season."

Succession planting can also maximize your garden space, but it can be tricky for many vegetables, particularly leafy greens and herbs that are prone to bolting prematurely if they sense that they need to make up time in their seed-creating season. (It also helps to keep them as cool as you can; arugula is one of the vegetables that thrive in the shade.) Direct-sowing your arugula seeds can ease this problem a bit — and eliminate a time-consuming step in your process. 

"Arugula thrives when direct-seeded into the garden soil," kitchen garden expert Sara Rubens told House Digest in an exclusive conversation, "as it prefers cool, moist conditions and can bolt quickly if transplanted and stressed by too warm temperatures, and the flavor profile gets very pungent."

Not only can direct-sown arugula taste better as a result of not having begun the bolting process, but it will also yield more of this versatile culinary wonder. "By sowing seeds directly, you reduce transplant shock and encourage healthier, more vigorous plants," Rubens said. "Overall, growing arugula by seed is simple, efficient, and perfect for fresh, peppery greens on demand."