"Rocket" is two different plants: wild rocket, a perennial that crops for years, and salad rocket, an annual you sow again every few weeks. The choice between them matters more than any named variety.
Quick answer
Wild rocket for a plant that keeps cropping, even in winter if it's protected. Salad rocket for a quick, mild crop sown little and often: Sky Rocket or Victoria for a strong flavour, Wasabi for heat, and Dragon's Tongue if boltingA plant switching early into flowering and seed production, usually triggered by stress, after which leaves, roots or bulbs turn bitter or unusable. Full page → is a worry.
What Scotland means for the choice
Rocket thrives in sun or light shade and likes fertile soil that holds some moisture. Wild rocket also grows well in poorer, drier soil. Salad rocket sown in early or mid-summer does better in a cooler spot in light shade, which prolongs cropping, and shade in summer helps to avoid bolting. Wild rocket can crop through winter under clochesA small, portable clear cover placed over an individual plant or short row to trap warmth and keep off wind, rain and pests. Full definition → or in a greenhouse, giving fresh leaves through a Scottish winter when little else is growing. The rocket growing guide covers sowing, spacing and containers.
| Type | Lives | Flavour | Grows | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) | Several years | Strong, peppery | Slower; poor, drier soil too | Picking over a long period, even in winter |
| Salad rocket (Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa) | Short-lived | Milder when young | Quickly; sow little and often | A fast crop of tender leaves |
None of the named rocket varieties holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Wild rocket
Wild rocket is a hardy perennial that lives for several years. It's robust and easy to grow, even in poor soil, with long, deeply dividedPropagating a clump-forming perennial by digging it up and splitting it into several smaller pieces, each with roots and shoots attached. Full definition → leaves and a strong peppery flavour. It's slower growing than salad rocket but crops over an extended period, even in winter if protected under cloches or in a greenhouse. It's sold as the plant itself rather than as named varieties, so there's nothing to choose between.
Salad rocket varieties
Salad rocket, also called garden rocket, is quick-growing and shorter-lived. Sow a small amount every few weeks for continuous leaves. Young leaves are milder, and the flowers are edible with a peppery kick. Sky Rocket has upright, fast-growing leaves with a strong flavour. Victoria has dark green, rounded leaves with a strong peppery flavour, and Runway has peppery, deeply serrated leaves.Dragon's Tongue has purplish-veined leaves and is vigorous with good bolt resistance, and Wasabi is quick-growing and vigorous with a hot, spicy flavour. Sky Rocket, Victoria and Runway are the varieties the RHS suggests trying, and Dragon's Tongue and Wasabi are Gardener's World's suggestions; none of them carries an award.
Telling them apart, and buying
Wild rocket has long, deeply divided leaves. Salad rocket's are larger, more delicate and usually less divided. Salad rocket can be picked about four to six weeks after sowing, but each sowing lasts only a few months before it runs to flower; wild rocket is slower to get going but keeps cropping for years. With either, take a few leaves from each plant along the row, as a plant stripped bare is slow to recover.
Seed of both is easy to find in garden centres and online. Wild rocket is also sold as young plants, often in the herb section, which is a quick way to start a bed that will last for years. Some garden centres sell rocket as plug plants, but these usually need potting up and growing on indoors before they can go out. Sow thinly whichever you grow: crowded plants bolt sooner.
Which one for your situation
- Years of picking from one planting: wild rocket.
- Leaves in winter: wild rocket, under cloches or in a greenhouse.
- A quick, tender crop: salad rocket, sown little and often.
- A strong flavour from salad rocket: Sky Rocket or Victoria.
- Hot and spicy: Wasabi.
- Bolting is a worry: Dragon's Tongue, with light shade in summer.
Rocket's main pests are flea beetle and slugs. Keep the soil moist, but don't overwater, or the leaves lose their peppery flavour.
Common questions
What is the difference between wild and salad rocket?
Wild rocket is a perennial that lives for several years, with a stronger flavour, and grows more slowly. Salad rocket is quick-growing and shorter-lived, so it is best sown little and often.
Can I grow rocket in winter in Scotland?
Wild rocket can crop through winter if it is protected under cloches or in a greenhouse.
Can I grow rocket in a pot?
Yes. Patio pots, windowboxes, hanging baskets and growing bags all work. Use a container at least 30cm wide, as bigger ones dry out less quickly, and expect the first leaves four to six weeks after sowing.
Do any rocket varieties hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit?
No. None of the named varieties does.
Sources
Show the 2 sources
- Rocket: grow your own: Wild and salad rocket; Victoria, Sky Rocket and Runway; sun or light shade; fertile, moisture-retentive soil, poorer soil for wild rocket; winter cropping under cloches; sowing little and often; leaf shapes and lifespan; buying seed, young plants and plugs; weeks to harvest; overcrowding and bolting; containers
- How to grow rocket leaves from seed: Dragon's Tongue and Wasabi; shade in summer to avoid bolting; not overwatering