[campanologist]

I thought I would try to grow lettuce this year for the first time and so transplanted some rocket from a garden centre several weeks ago. They seemed to take well but now at about 9 inches high have developed flowers. Can anyone tell me why?

[Yorkie]

It's gone to seed, sorry - may have been the transplanting, or the weather, or just that it's part of the usual lifecycle of the plant.

Rocket is an annual so its purpose is to produce seed - hence flowering.

The leaves will probably be quite strong and perhaps a little bitter, but I'd harvest what you want.

Start some more off if you want, but the current plants probably aren't keeping much longer.

[goose]

i have only ever grown rocket from seed (lots of it as we love it and its cheap/easy to grow but expensive to buy).  however, you really need to keep cutting it otherwise it will bolt, like it has for you.  you normally get 3-4 crops from a batch if you keep cutting/picking it before the flowers start.  once they have come, i dig up and move onto my next batch and resow.

if you get a packet of seed and sow now you, you will probably get a decent crop.  i sowed some last week but it will probably be my last batch for the season( i have 4 batches at different growing stages).  wild rocket is lovely but a bit slower to grow than one called skyrocket (the leaves arent quite so serated but it has a strong flavour and grows really quickly).

good luck, dont give up as i love it in salads or dumped on top of a pizza to add some freshness.

my italian inlaws hate the stuff 'with a passion', which is funny as it is associated withl italian food...they hold their noses when they serve it to me....

[barbarella]

Rocket is really easy to grow from seed.  I usually start it off in pots and it germinates practically overnight - must be how it gets its name  .  I think it is one of those things that is best sown direct though - as Yorkie suggested, transplanting can encourage it to bolt.  It also self seeds easily if you leave some in the ground. 

[digalotty]

my rocket is in trays,one set doing realy well but the other is tinting pink i think its from all the rain is this so,   this one didnt drain off lik the other

[themoog]

I've also only grown from seed and you have to sow a new batch regularly.

I'm amazed at some of the things out local garden centre sells and thinks suitable for transplanting like carrots and parsnips. I don't know anyone who has successfully transplanted these and I'm annoyed that novices will think that these failures are down to them  .