Rainline Garden

When to plant arugula in Oregon and Washington

In Portland: Plant arugula from seed, directly in the garden, Mar 1 – Apr 12. For a fall harvest, plant again Aug 27 – Sep 17. In Bend: Apr 28 – Jun 9. Find your city below.

Difficulty
Easy
Sun
Full sun to part shade
Spacing
Thin to 4 inches apart
Planting depth
¼ inch deep
Frost
Handles light frost
First harvest
About 35 days after planting

Fast and frost-tolerant. It bolts in heat, so sow small batches in spring and again in late summer.

Arugula planting dates by city

CityPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Astoria, ORMar 25 – May 6Aug 27 – Sep 17
Baker City, ORApr 20 – Jun 1Jul 28 – Aug 18
Bend and Redmond, ORApr 28 – Jun 9Jul 27 – Aug 17
Burns, ORApr 30 – Jun 11Jul 19 – Aug 9
Coos Bay and North Bend, ORMar 25 – May 6Aug 27 – Sep 17
Eugene, ORMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 27 – Sep 17
Gresham, ORMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 27 – Sep 17
Klamath Falls, ORApr 28 – Jun 9Jul 31 – Aug 21
Medford, ORMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 27 – Sep 17
Pendleton, ORMar 20 – May 1Aug 27 – Sep 17
Portland, ORMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 27 – Sep 17
Roseburg, ORMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 27 – Sep 17
Salem, ORMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 27 – Sep 17
The Dalles, ORMar 20 – May 1Aug 27 – Sep 17
Wilsonville and Canby, ORMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 27 – Sep 17
Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WAMar 25 – May 6Aug 27 – Sep 17
Bellingham, WAMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 27 – Sep 17
Ellensburg, WAApr 1 – May 13Aug 19 – Sep 9
Everett, WAMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 27 – Sep 17
Forks, WAMar 25 – May 6Aug 27 – Sep 17
Moses Lake, WAMar 20 – May 1Aug 20 – Sep 10
Olympia, WAMar 18 – Apr 29Aug 26 – Sep 16
Omak and Okanogan, WAApr 1 – May 13Aug 19 – Sep 9
Seattle and Tacoma, WAMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 27 – Sep 17
Spokane, WAApr 1 – May 13Aug 24 – Sep 14
Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WAMar 20 – May 1Aug 23 – Sep 13
Vancouver, WAMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 27 – Sep 17
Walla Walla, WAMar 20 – May 1Aug 27 – Sep 17
Wenatchee, WAMar 20 – May 1Aug 27 – Sep 17
Yakima, WAMar 27 – May 8Aug 16 – Sep 6

How to grow arugula

  1. Prepare the bed: loosen the soil and mix in an inch or two of compost.
  2. Plant seeds on your city's dates, ¼ inch deep, Thin to 4 inches apart.
  3. Keep the soil evenly moist until sprouts appear, which can take one to three weeks in cool soil.
  4. Plant again on your city's dates for a fall harvest.
  5. Harvest: Pick leaves when they're 2 to 3 inches long, about three weeks after sowing. Young leaves are the mildest.

Varieties that do well in the Northwest

Watch out for

Flea beetles riddle the leaves with tiny holes in spring. Floating row cover laid on at sowing keeps them off.

More salad greens

See all 51 plants