5 Best Heat Tolerant Arugula Varieties (Slow-Bolting Arugula)

If you are an Arugula fan, then here we will be discussing some of the best Heat Tolerant Arugula Varieties. You know that arugula varieties are already getting such hype being from the category of brassicas group. The arugula plants are also called rockets and have a really good flavor.

Key takeaways:

• The wild plant varieties have a high ability to survive in harsh conditions irrespective of the delicate appearance they give. 
• The regular arugula variety will bolt in the summer hot weather when the plant starts to flower stalk and get less leafy as the energy plants are moved to the flowering session.
• With time the leaves also turn hairy and have a bitter taste, which is not much loved by the people.

You love to add them to salads, we know that! They are just so easy to eat, full of flavor, and look all lush green. I personally love the arugula’s mustard-like flavor that they provide in the salads. But the issue is that arugula plants easily get bloated during the summer heat. The arugula is best grown during the time of early spring or late summer when the temperatures are that high or too low. The wild arugulas are seen to be more resistant to heat than the normal arugula varieties.

Common Name	Arugula, rocket, garden rocket
Botanical Name	Eruca versicaria
Family	Brassicaceae
Plant Type	Annual, vegetable
Size	2–3 ft. tall, 1–1.5 ft. wide
Sun Exposure	Full sun, part shade
Soil Type	Loamy, moist, well-drained
Soil pH	Acidic, neutral (6 to 7)
Bloom Time	Seasonal
Hardiness Zones	2–11 (USDA)
Native Area	Mediterranean

In this article, we will give the 5 best heat-tolerant arugula varieties that you can grow.

5 Best Heat Tolerant Arugula Varieties

Astro

The Astro arugula plants are among the arugula that is not very spicy. Not everyone can handle good spice. This arugula has mild flavor intensity and moderate heat tolerance. If you plant Astro arugula you have to wait for 35-40 days for them to mature. Astro arugula is also grown by open pollination. The plant is highly rewarding due to its ability to withstand high temperatures. The good thing is that you can harvest the young arugula and use them or can use microgreens for speed harvesting. The ideal time for getting the baby arugula is 21 days. At this time the leaves are not properly lobed. They are famous for microgreens as well.  

To know more about the plant world, you may also read related articles, 10 Must Grow Heat-Tolerant Eggplant Varieties

Red Dragon

The red dragon as the name indicates adds fire to the dishes and gets matured in 45-47 days. Spice lovers love to add them to the salads to make a bit spicier and more flavorful dishes. The leaves are attractive to red dragon arugula. So in short they don’t just look good but also taste good. The leaves are oak leaf-shaped and the plant gets to the height of 5 to 6 inches. They are actually wild varieties that have dark green leaves with deep red-colored veins. 

Slow bolt

The arugula slow bolt is a vegetable green that is hardy and grows in cool temperatures, needing spring soil or spring season to grow tender arugula plants. They are fast-growing and have a better heat tolerance rate. Other than the arugula, slow bolt seeds can be collected and planted at a suitable time. They need 6 weeks to get harvested. The plants are short-sized with 2-3 inches in height. 

Wild arugula 

The wild arugula gets matured 50 days after sowing. They are the wild varieties of arugula having really good heat tolerance. The wild arugula looks a lot like wild plants and weeds. The wild arugula has a strong flavor. They are mostly making pesto pasta and have a good spicy kick. They are hardy and have high heat tolerance. The leaves are highly serrated and plants don’t gain much height. The plant bolts slowly and produces yellow color flowers. The bolting doesn’t much affect this arugula variety. The wild arugula plants don’t get bitter on bolting, their taste remains the same. They are slow growing than the other varieties of arugula. 

Wasabi

Wasabi arugula is another popular variety that is used in salads, sandwiches, toppings, dressings, etc. The wasabi arugula takes 35-40 days to mature. The plant gets to a height of 10-20cm and has a spicy complex flavor. The wasabi has a strong flavor that gives nose-tingling sensations. 

Regular Arugula vs. Wild Arugula:

The arugula plants have many different varieties but it does have two complete species of plant that belong to the same family as brassicas like mustard. There are some standard garden arugula which are groups such as Eruca sativa or Eruca vesicaria and there are some wild arugula that are categorized as Diplotaxis tenuifolia. These species are used to grow in the same way but do have a few differences.

Types of Arugula:

The following are some types of arugula plants that make them different because they vary in flavor, appearance, and more such as

‘Astro II’:

You are going to love this variety if you prefer to grow mild arugula flavor. They used to get mature within seven weeks.

‘Apollo’:

They come under mild varieties which are heat tolerant and grow in the shape of oval leaves.

‘Olive Leaf’:

These are types that are known by  Italian speakers as Rucola Selvatica a Foglia D’Ulivo. They do grow with flat, narrow leaves and have some different flavors.

‘Red Dragon’:

They are perfect to be used for salads having striking purple-veined leaves that look similar to  oak leaves. They do have a mild flavor.

‘Sylvetta’:

It comes under the types having narrow and spicy leaves.

Harvesting Arugula:

The arugula plants are used to be grown fully and get ready to be harvested in the fourth to seventh weeks. The harvesting of arugula depends on the varieties of the arugula. The perfect time to harvest the plant is when the leaves are used to grow around 3 inches long harvesting in the early stage the leaves are tender and sweet but the older leave turns to get older and bitter. 

In case you still want to continue growing arugula you can cut the outer leaves by cutting them towards the base and leaving the crown part intact or you can also just cut off all the leaves above the soil as the plants are able to regrow if the weather is still mild. 

Waiting long to harvest the plant will make the flowers eat not the leaves as the fruit starts to bloom when the leaves of the plants grow to full size and will be bitter if you taste them. Adding them to a salad or sandwich will give them a flavor of peppery bites. 

I will suggest you eat the fresh leaves and you can also collect and keep them in the refrigerator for a week

Growing Arugula in Pots:

You can easily grow the arugula in pots as they are small and self-contained. You can also keep them near the kitchen so that you can harvest them regularly. In case you grow them in the pot you can move them and give them direct sun which will help them to grow best. The root area of the plant does not plant deeply in the container as they are fairly shallow. You just need to dig the soil at least 6 inches deep having a wider diameter. You need to make sure the container consists of enough amount of drainage holes. I prefer you to use unglazed clay which will help in maintaining the soil moisture and allow the excess moisture to be evaporated by the walls of the container.

Final words of the context

So in this article, you get to know the best varieties of arugula that have good heat tolerance and taste good as well. You also came to know that it is really important to consider the season in which you are growing arugula. The springtime makes it suitable for the arugula plants not to lose their flavor. It is important that the plants get good moisture and water to keep them cool and going. We hope you like this article and find it useful. We are happy to share and help you guys. Happy planting! 

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