Crop type: Rocket
Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa ‘Sky Rocket’ PBR
Common name: Salad rocket ‘Sky Rocket’
Crop slug: rocket
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile and its linked crop guidance. Check the sources and adjust cultivation decisions for local conditions.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
‘Sky Rocket’ is an upright salad rocket combining fast annual growth with the strong flavour and serrated foliage associated with wild rocket. The PBR cultivar is useful when a grower wants deeply cut, spicy leaves without waiting for slower perennial wild rocket.
The current RHS botanical record is concise. It confirms an accepted Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa cultivar in Brassicaceae; crop performance and cultivation details come from the linked rocket guide.
2 - Size
- Plant type
- Compact upright annual leafy crop
- Harvest stage
- Four to six weeks after sowing
- Final spacing
- 15cm
- Container width
- At least 30cm
The upright habit keeps serrated leaves accessible for repeated picking. Thin promptly because overcrowded plants flower sooner.
3 - Growing conditions
- Soil
- Fertile, moisture-retentive and freely drained
- Container medium
- Peat-free multipurpose compost
- Moisture
- Evenly moist
Sow in prepared fine soil or containers no more than 1cm deep, with 15cm rows and final plant spacing. Garden compost helps light soil retain moisture. Avoid water stress, which shortens the leaf crop.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Spring and late summer
- Full sun
- Hot summer weather
- Light shade
- Protected seasons
- Greenhouse, cold frame or cloche
- Life cycle
- Annual
Use light shade in early and midsummer to delay bolting. Sow indoors in February or March, outdoors from April to early September, or into autumn with protection.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
‘Sky Rocket’ forms an upright rosette of narrow green leaves with conspicuous serration and deeper divisions than rounded salad cultivars. The appearance approaches wild rocket, while growth remains quicker. If retained to flower, Eruca bears creamy-white petals with purple veins and yellow stamens, but flowering ends the annual leaf crop.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Genus
- Eruca
- Species
- Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Name status
- Accepted
- Breeders’ rights
- PBR
Genus
Eruca is a genus of annual brassicas that includes salad rocket. Its leaves and characteristic cross-shaped flowers have the mustard family’s peppery character.
Safety
Leaves and flowers are edible. Wash crops before use and avoid material exposed to unsuitable treatments or animal contamination.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Make small sowings every few weeks. Thin to 15cm, keep soil moist and harvest a few outer leaves from every plant after four to six weeks. Move summer containers into light shade. Replace plants once bolting ends their productive leaf stage.
Propagation
Propagate from seed. Warm bright indoor sowings emerge in a few days. Harden seedlings off and transplant outdoors when about 10cm tall.
Suggested locations
- Allotment salad bed
- Patio pot or windowbox
- Growing bag
- Greenhouse border
- Spicy cut-and-come-again mixture
Pruning
Pick leaves frequently. Pinching out an early flower stalk offers only a short extension; annual plants should then be replaced by the next sowing.
Pests
Flea beetles make small rounded holes and slugs and snails attack seedlings. Protect young crops and maintain vigorous growth.
Diseases
No specific disease is stated on the concise cultivar profile. Avoid waterlogging and overcrowding and rotate with other brassicas.