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I've grown (salad) rocket for the first time this year. Its done well and i have come to like eating it.

Problem is it has started to run to flower and i am not sure what to do now. Can it still be eaten once it starts to flower? I have pulled off those flowering stems i can see in the hope this is enough. Does it though now need cutting right back to renew it? (will this work?).

Another thing, I didnt thin out the plants at  the seedling stage, because i read somewhere that it wasnt nessesary. Was this right or is th premature flowering due to overcrowding. Will thinning now help?

Lots of questions i know but any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

Good news is you can continue to eat it - including the flowers, very tasty, till it all just gets too woody and old. Bad news is I find it always bolts quickly. Just sow some more.
I have never thinned it - but my OH heard Monty Don say you should.................

GC - join the club!!

I've taken to growing it in pots. Much more controllable. But still wants to rush off to seed - like Coriander.

Its a blimmin nuisance in my garden, rocket... it has self-seeded everywhere, and is difficult to pull out by hand.  For some reason it likes the area just around my pampas grass.  >:(

I guess there are worse problems to have... its tasty enough.  ;)

Shame you removed the flowers as they are delish!  Even with loads of water and no disturbance, it seems to want to gallop off to seed, so as Tim said, sow little and often.

Strangely enough not long after posting I saw a 'Great Garden Challenge' in which Chris Beardshaw was doing a spot on veg growing. He had some rocket which he showed us had just been cut back. I have now done the same  ;D. I remember now that is was on an earler veg growing slot on the programme i  heard about not thinning the rocket seedlings out.

BTW couldnt use any of the cut off leaves. I tried one and it was'nt as nice as earlier croppings :P, so the 'prunings' had to go on the compost heap   :'(.