Turkish Rocket

Bunias orientalis

Description

Turkish Rocket is a very ancient brassica, a relative of broccoli and kale. Their leaves, edible and reminiscent of dandelion in shape and flavor, grow in rosettes around a central crown, from which the blot and florets emerge. While the leaves are edible, it is the florets and flower stalks that are the real prize winner with Turkish Rocket, tasting like a broccoli rabe and cabbage.

Turkish Rocket is a very hardy and resilient plant once established, and has shown to be very resistant to most animal browse. They have a deep taproot that pulls up minerals, and the foliage can be chop-n-dropped as a living mulch. They generally lie within a foot of the ground, but when bolting the flower stalks can get quite a bit taller.

Turkish Rocket can be cultivated from root cuttings or from seed, which they can produce in abundance. We offer both root fragments and rooted crowns, each of which should be fairly well established within a year.

Site Preference

Full sun to partial shade, any soil quality

Hardiness

Zone 4