So, your arugula has started to flower. This is a common moment in the garden, and it doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong. In fact, it’s a natural part of the plant’s life cycle. Knowing what to do when arugula flowers is a key skill for any gardener who loves this peppery green. Let’s look at your options, from harvest to kitchen, so you can make the best choice for your garden and your plate.
Arugula, also known as rocket, is a cool-season crop. When the days get longer and temperatures rise, it quickly shifts its energy from leaf production to reproduction. This is called bolting. The plant sends up a central stalk, develops little buds, and then blooms with small, white flowers. While this signals the end of the tender leaf stage, it opens up new possibilities.
What To Do When Arugula Flowers
You have several paths forward when you see those flower stalks appear. Your decision depends on what you want from your garden: more leaves, seeds for next year, or something tasty and new to try. Here’s a breakdown of your main options.
Option 1: Harvest the Flowers and Buds
Yes, arugula flowers are edible! They have a concentrated, peppery flavor, similar to the leaves but with a slight sweetness. They make a beautiful, tasty garnish.
* How to harvest: Simply snip the flower stalks or pick individual flowers. The best time is in the morning when they are fully open.
* How to use: Add them to salads, use them as a garnish on soups or pizzas, or mix them into soft cheeses. The unopened flower buds can be pickled like capers for a unique treat.
Choosing this option allows the plant to continue it’s life cycle, which leads us to the next possibility.
Option 2: Let It Go to Seed
If you want to save seeds for next season or encourage arugula to self-sow in your garden, let some plants flower and complete their cycle.
* The Process: After flowering, the blooms will fade and form long, thin seed pods. Let these pods dry and turn brown on the plant.
* Collecting Seeds: Once completely dry, cut the stalks. Place the seed heads into a paper bag and crush them to release the tiny seeds. Store the seeds in a cool, dry place.
* Self-Sowing: If you leave the plants alone, the pods will eventually burst open and scatter seeds around your garden. This often leads to new arugula plants popping up on their own later in the season or next spring.
Option 3: Pull the Plant and Replant
Once arugula bolts, the existing leaves often become tougher, more bitter, and less enjoyable to eat raw. If you’re focused on salad production, the most efficient move might be to remove the bolting plants.
* Clear the space: Pull up the flowering arugula and add it to your compost pile (unless it’s gone to seed—then discard it to avoid spreading seeds).
* Succession planting: This frees up space to plant a new, heat-tolerant crop. Good choices for warm weather include Swiss chard, bush beans, or even a new sowing of heat-resistant greens like Malabar spinach.
How to Delay Bolting in the First Place
While bolting is inevitable, you can slow it down with a few simple tricks. These tips are especially helpful in spring as the weather warms up.
* Choose the Right Variety: Some types, like ‘Astro’ or ‘Slow Bolt,’ are bred specifically to resist bolting longer than standard varieties.
* Plant at the Right Time: Sow arugula seeds in early spring or late summer/early fall for cooler growing conditions.
* Use Shade Cloth: When temperatures spike, drape a 30-40% shade cloth over your arugula bed. This can lower the temperature significantly and keep leaves tender for weeks longer.
* Water Consistently: Keep the soil evenly moist. Stress from drought will trigger a plant to bolt prematurely as a survival tactic.
* Harvest Frequently: Regular harvesting of the outer leaves encourages the plant to stay in a leafy growth mode. Don’t wait for it to get too mature.
Step-by-Step: What to Do With Bitter, Bolted Leaves
Don’t just throw those older leaves away! They might be too strong for a delicate salad, but they are still packed with flavor. Here’s what to do.
1. Taste Test: First, sample a leaf. If it’s only slightly more pungent, you can still use it in a mixed green salad.
2. Cook Them: Cooking mellows the bitterness perfectly. Sauté the leaves with garlic and olive oil, just like you would with spinach or kale.
3. Make Pesto: This is a fantastic solution. The strong flavor of bolted arugula makes a robust, delicious pesto. Blend it with garlic, nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.
4. Add to Soups: Stir chopped arugula into a pot of minestrone or potato soup in the last few minutes of cooking.
5. Compost: If the leaves are truly too tough or bitter for your taste, thank the plant by adding it to your compost bin.
Integrating Flowering Arugula into Your Garden Plan
A flowering arugula plant isn’t a failure; it’s a resource. Think of it as a multi-purpose player in your garden ecosystem.
* Pollinator Attraction: The small white flowers are excellent for attracting beneficial insects like bees, hoverflies, and parasitic wasps to your garden. These insects help pollinate other crops and control pests.
* Companion Planting: Letting a few arugula plants flower near your tomatoes or squash can draw pollinators right to where you need them.
* Living Mulch: If you let it self-sow, arugula can act as a living mulch, covering bare soil and helping to suppress weeds in the off-season.
Managing arugula through its entire life cycle—from tender seedling to flowering herb—makes you a more versatile and resilient gardener. It reduces waste and opens up a wider range of flavors and uses from a single packet of seeds. The key is to observe your plants and decide which stage best serves your current needs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Is it OK to eat arugula after it flowers?
A: Yes, but with a caveat. The leaves become much more pungent and often tougher after bolting. They are better suited for cooking (sautéing, in soups) than for fresh salads. The flowers themselves, however, are a delicious edible garnish.
Q: Can you stop arugula from bolting?
A: You cannot stop it permanently, as it is a natural process. However, you can delay it significantly by providing consistent moisture, using shade cloth during heatwaves, planting bolt-resistant varieties, and harvesting leaves regularly.
Q: Does arugula grow back after cutting?
A: If you harvest just the outer leaves and the plant has not yet formed a central flower stalk, it will often continue to produce new leaves from the center. Once the main bolting stalk begins to grow, the plant will not return to its former tender state.
Q: What does it mean when my arugula plant flowers?
A: Flowering means your arugula is “bolting.” This is it’s natural response to longer daylight hours and warmer temperatures. The plant is shifting it’s energy from growing leaves to producing flowers and seeds for reproduction.
Q: Should I cut the flowers off my arugula?
A: If you want to try eating the flowers or encourage a few more leaves to grow (though they’ll be stronger in flavor), then yes, snip them off. If you want to save seeds or let the plant self-sow, leave the flowers to develop into seed pods.
The journey of arugula from seed to flower is a short but rewarding one. By understanding what to do at each stage, you get to enjoy its spicy leaves, its pretty blooms, and it’s future seeds. It’s a reminder that in the garden, change is not an end, but simply the beginning of a different kind of harvest.