Rocket Wild Sylvetta Seeds

Rocket Wild Sylvetta forms a compact perennial clump of narrow, deeply divided leaves with a stronger, hotter peppery and nutty flavour than annual salad rocket.

Ready for stronger flavour and a longer picking season? Follow our step-by-step Rocket Grow Guide for Wild Sylvetta for sowing, perennial care, regional timing, repeat harvesting and heat advice.

Quick Grow Facts

• Plant Type: Cool-season perennial wild rocket in mild conditions; protect the crown from hard frost and waterlogging
• Scientific Name: Diplotaxis tenuifolia
• Selection: Wild Sylvetta
• Seed Form: Raw seed; no pretreatment. Sow as supplied. Raw does not confirm untreated status, so follow the purchased packet.
• Available Pack Sizes: 2 g, 20 g and 100 g raw seed
• Best Sowing Time: Cool-season sowings from late summer through winter and into cool spring; use the coolest practical part of the packet’s spring-to-autumn window
• Position: Full sun in cool weather; morning sun or light afternoon shade as temperatures rise
• Sow Depth and Light: Cover with 1 cm of fine, loose medium as printed on the packet; no special darkness treatment; give bright light after emergence
• Germination: 7–10 days; aim for a seedbed around 10–18°C and keep it evenly moist, not saturated
• Spacing: 15 cm between plants; use up to 20 cm where clumps will remain for repeated picking
• Growth Form: Slower-growing compact leafy clump, about 20–25 cm before slender yellow-flowered stems rise
• Harvest: Begin checking within the packet’s 40–60-day window and pick lightly while the crown establishes
• Regrowth: Harvest outside leaves above the crown; established plants can continue producing after flowering and over several seasons in mild conditions

Why Grow Wild Sylvetta?

• The narrow leaves give salads, pesto, pizza and sauces an intense gourmet peppery flavour.
• A perennial crown offers a longer harvest than fast annual salad rocket.
• Plants are slower to bolt and can keep producing leaves after yellow flowers appear.
• The compact clumps suit beds, troughs and balcony containers.

Garden and Kitchen Use

Give Wild Sylvetta a permanent edge or container where its crown will not be disturbed. Pick the stronger leaves sparingly for salads, sandwiches, pesto, sauces and garnishes, or allow some yellow flowers to support pollinators.

Growing Notes

• Direct sow or raise one or two seedlings per clean module, then transplant at several true leaves before roots circle the cell.
• Keep the 1 cm cover fine and friable. Do not bury the seed deeper or let the surface crust.
• Harvest lightly at first and never cut into the central crown. A hard cut delays regrowth.
• Wild Sylvetta tolerates warmth better than salad rocket but is not heat-proof; flavour intensifies and growth can pause in severe heat or drought.
• No support or pinching is needed. Protect the crown from hard inland frost and from saturated winter soil.

Food and Seed Safety

Do not eat packet seed or use it for jar sprouts or microgreens unless the purchased lot is explicitly labelled for that use. Keep animals and raw manure away from the crop, use clean water and harvest tools, rinse leaves under potable running water, and do not use soap.

Brought to you by Ubuntuberg Seeds, where our mission is to cultivate humanity & harvest unity. Ubuntuberg Seeds: the highest quality seed stock in all of Southern Africa, sourced from sustainable farms, guaranteeing you the best quality seed stock.