Looking for a delicious variety of romaine for your garden? Try Little Gem lettuce!
Little Gem lettuce is a classic romaine-type mini variety known for its sweet taste and rich texture. The small heads grow to about 6″ tall in the garden, making them the perfect size to harvest for a side salad. The leaves of this open-pollinated European heirloom variety have a satisfying texture similar to butterhead lettuce. Little Gem lettuce heads take about 40 days to grow in the garden after planting.
Read on to learn all about Little Gem lettuce!
Little Gem lettuce basics
Little Gem lettuce is a popular variety of romaine lettuce known for its small size and tender leaves. It is one of the most popular romaines to grow (along with the larger Parris Island Cos) and is one of the most popular lettuce varieties overall.
This lettuce is easy to grow. The leaves of this lettuce are of a buttery nature, more similar to butterhead lettuce rather than actual romaine (read more about the types of lettuce). This is head-forming lettuce and is early to mature.
Planting Little Gem lettuce
Other things to take into consideration are the spacing that the lettuce seeds require. Lettuce seeds sown for baby greens can be grown fairly close together. Typically they like to be 4-6 seeds per inch, spread out in rows that are 2” – 4” apart.
Plant the seeds at a shallow depth of about â…›” – ¼” deep. They need to be just barely covered by the soil. Keep the soil moist and cool in order for good lettuce seed germination. Lettuce seeds meant for full-grown lettuce plants should be planted with a spacing of 8” apart.
Planting lettuce seeds indoors for later transplanting
Planting lettuce seeds indoors is a favorite option because it allows the seedlings to stay warm as the ground warms up outside. It also allows you to space the plants nicely when you transfer them later on.
If you are planning to start some seedlings in your home while the weather is still cold, plant some lettuce seeds in peat pots or cell trays as soon as the soil outside has thawed. You will be able to keep them warm indoors while the soil warms up outside for their arrival.
Give them plenty of sunlight by placing them in well-lit windows for warmth. If this isn’t possible, use artificial lighting to keep them warm when necessary. Once you notice the soil can be worked nicely outdoors, it’s time to transfer your seedlings.
Transplanting lettuce seedlings outdoors
Before transferring your Little Gem Lettuce seedlings outdoors, they should be about 2 – 3 inches high. It is also recommended that you wait for “true leaves” to come out before transferring them for the best results.
To transplant the lettuce seedlings, make a small hole in the soil with your finger. Bury the small plant up to the base. Try not to plant the seedlings any deeper than they were in their initial tray. Water deeply after transplanting.
Planting lettuce seeds outdoors
Planting lettuce seeds outdoors directly in the ground is the easiest option. It works well for baby romaine leaves, but is a bit tricker in terms of spacing if you’re harvesting whole heads.
In order to plant seeds directly outdoors, make sure temperatures are consistently between 45 and 65 degrees and the soil is soft enough to work (in areas that freeze in the winter). Sow the seeds â…›” – ¼” deep and a few inches apart. Space the rows about 14 inches apart. You will thin the rows as the lettuce grows. Make them further apart if you are planting head lettuce.
For a continuous harvest, sow more seeds every 2 weeks. The successive sowings will allow you to have more growth into the year.
Growing Little Gem lettuce
Be sure that the soil you are planting the seeds in is warm. You can monitor the temperature using a soil thermometer. Usually, early spring is a great time to begin.
Choose a location that has good sunlight but summer shade so the plants don’t overheat in full sun. Plan your row spacing accordingly so plants can grow fully and without being cramped.
Prepare the soil using an organic fertilizer. Pay attention to the label to determine how often to fertilize your crops.
Water the seeds appropriately using a drip method or a fine mist setting on your hose. These plants like to be soaked to a depth of 3 inches. Regular watering is important to their growth.
Once the plants get their third set of leaves, thin the rows to 8 – 12 inches apart instead of 16. In small gardens, you may not be able to plant quite as many full heads of lettuce.
How to harvest Little Gem lettuce
Your Little Gem Lettuce plants will form a tight head that can be harvested about an inch above the growing crown. Be sure not to cut too low or your plant will not continue growing as you want it to. Some gardeners prefer to alternate the lettuce plants they cut from to allow the remaining plants to grow larger.
Harvest the whole head or individual leaves depending on your needs. Be sure to harvest your lettuce at its full size before it begins to bolt (or seed). This is one of the lettuce varieties that is a good choice and the perfect size for gourmet salads.
Recipes for Little Gem lettuce
A Little Gem salad is the perfect refreshing side or meal once you have harvested your fresh lettuce leaves. This mini romaine can be sliced for a chopped caesar salad or even served whole if harvested when young.
Pair Little Gem with some other cool greens and a lemon vinaigrette (or your preferred salad dressing of choice) and you will have an absolute gourmet treat on your hands. A favorite of ours is a walnut vinaigrette—you really can’t go wrong either way!
