How to use Arugula Flowers

Arugula plants produce beautiful white flowers that are great for attracting bees and other beneficial insects to your garden.

When arugula plants start to flower it means that they’re almost at the end of their growing cycle and they’ll soon start producing seeds.

You can cut off the flowers to stop the plants going to seed too quickly or leave them to flower and enjoy the pretty flowers in your garden.

In this article I’ll show you how to use arugula flowers from your vegetable garden.

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Arugula (Eruca sativa), also known as rocket or roquette, is a leafy green vegetable with a peppery, mustard-like flavor.

Arugula is part of the brassica vegetable family which also includes kale, cauliflower and broccoli.

It’s a cool season plant that is easy to grow from seed in early spring or late fall. [1]

Are arugula flowers edible?

Arugula flowers not only look great, they’re also edible and have a slightly bitter, peppery taste.

When do arugula plants bloom?

Arugula plants start to bolt (produce flowers) in late spring or summer, usually about 8 to 10 weeks after planting.

Arugula flowers grow on tall flower spikes and each flower has four white petals with green or purple veins through them.

How to delay arugula flowering

Arugula plants will start flowering sooner if the temperature is too warm so it’s a good idea to give them some shade by planting them near taller vegetables or grow them in a pot in a partially shady spot.

1. Leave them to bloom

Arugula flowers are ideal companion plants in your vegetable garden because they attract beneficial insects like bees and butterflies.

Arugula flowers are also great for beautifying your vegetable garden.

Slugs are attracted to the flowers of arugula and other vegetables, so if you discover a slug in your arugula patch you’ll need to put out some snail and slug pellets or set up a beer trap.

2. Eat the flowers

If you like the slightly bitter taste of arugula leaves, then you’ll enjoy the flowers as well.

It’s best to pick the flowers just before you plan to use them because they wilt fairly quickly.

Try adding arugula flowers to salads, pizza or use them as a garnish for your meals.

Arugula flowers are also great to use in place of capers because they have more flavor and less salt.

3. Collect arugula seeds

Arugula seeds can be collected from the spent flowers once they’ve turned brown.

Cut the flowers off with a pair of scissors and place them in a paper bag to dry out.

After about two weeks the flowers should be fully dried and you can gently crush the flowers to release the seeds.

Store the seeds in an envelope in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to plant them.

If you prefer to let the plants self seed just leave the flowers until they turn brown and the seeds will fall to the ground.

Arugula plants reseed easily so you’ll have plenty of new arugula plants popping up the following year.

So there are some easy ways to use arugula flowers from your vegetable garden.

Arugula plants produce an abundance of beautiful flowers so why not pick some of the flowers from your plants and make the most of them while they’re in bloom.

I hope this post has given you some ideas for using the flowers from your arugula plants.

How do you use arugula flowers from your garden? Let me know in the comments below.

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How to use Arugula Flowers

Are arugula flowers edible?

When do arugula plants bloom?

How to delay arugula flowering