Thirty one days since I put wild rocket seed into the Sydney patch, and the leaves have gone from seedling wisps to proper serrated shapes I can actually pick from. Four to six true leaves per plant now, most of them 8 to 10cm long. That’s the stage where you take the outer leaves and the plant just keeps pushing new ones from the centre. I took a light first cut off three plants yesterday and left the middles alone.
Not every plant’s at the same stage though. The row nearest the fence is a size ahead of the row against the shed wall, probably down to the extra hour of winter sun it gets before the shadow line moves in. I’m not chasing uniformity here. A staggered patch means a staggered harvest, which suits me fine.
This week’s job: watch for slugs, not aphids
Winter in Sydney knocks the usual rocket pests back. Aphids barely show their face below about 15 degrees. What I’m actually checking for morning and night is slugs and snails. They go straight for the soft brassica family leaves rocket puts out, and a cold wet week does more damage to a bed like this than any insect will manage. The beer trap’s back in the corner of the patch.
The risk I’m watching hardest right now is frost. Sydney’s had a couple of clear, still nights this fortnight, and rocket leaves go limp and go translucent at the edges once it drops much below 2 degrees overnight. I’ve got a light frost cloth ready to throw over the row if the forecast dips again before the 6 July harvest date.
Nine days out from picking properly. The chooks already know something green is coming and have started loitering by the gate.
