Romaine lettuce 'Little Gem'

Lactuca sativa var. longifolia

How to grow Romaine lettuce 'Little Gem'

  • Partial Sun

  • High

Grow plants on and harvest from mid summer onwards, protect from birds and insects with horticultural fleece.

Try to plant in a location that enjoys partial sun and remember to water often. Keep in mind when planting that Little Gem is thought of as tender, so it is really important to ensure that the outside temperature is well above freezing before planting or moving outdoors. Little Gem requires a loamy, potting mix and clay soil with a ph of 5.8 - 6.8 - it grows best in weakly acidic soil.

Growing Little Gem from seed

Sow thinly in soil with a fine tilth water ground in dry periods. Cover seeds only lightly as they need light to germinate

Look to ensure a distance 5.85 inches (15.0 cm) between seeds when sowing - bury at a depth of at least 0.39 inches (1.0 cm) deep. Soil temperature should be kept higher than 15°C / 59°F to ensure good germination.

By our calculations, you should look at sowing Little Gem about 53 days before your last frost date.

Transplanting Little Gem

Thin out seedlings gradually to leave plants to mature at a distance of 25cm between seedlings. The immature thinnings can be eaten as baby salad leaves.

Ensure that temperatures are mild (minimum night temperatures should be around 12°C / 54°F) and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Little Gem is a tender plant.

Harvesting Little Gem

Ready to harvest in just 50 days. Can be harvested as baby greens or full grown for salad.

Expect harvests to start to occur in mid summer.

Other Names for Romaine lettuce 'Little Gem'

Little Gem-Pearl, Mini Romaine, Tennis Ball, Sucrine