Partial Sun
High
Use fleece to protect the growing seedlings from the worst of early season bad weather, and late season sun. Fleece also helps to keep pests at bay,
Harvest as soon as the leaves are useful, keeping the growing plants evenly moist to reduce bolting
Sow directly, and cover only lightly. Sow thinly to avoid having to thin too many seedlings. seeds need light to germinate
Sow a few seeds every two or three weeks, to prolong the crop
By our calculations*, you should look at sowing Romaine lettuce about 60 days before your last frost date .
Sow direct, lettuce do not transplant easily, thin seedlings to give the remaining plants room to grow.
Eat the thinnings
Harvest as soon as the leaves are a useful size, choosing the plants that will release the growing room for those remaining.
Pull carefully, so as not to damage the roots of the remaining plants
Lettuce easily bolt and flower, and can be grown from seed collected into a paper bag.
Seed viability is three years.
These estimates for how long Romaine lettuce takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.
Average 7 days | Min 1 days | Max 23 days (347)
Average 31 days | Min 2 days | Max 58 days (26)
Average 50 days | Min 4 days | Max 142 days (190)
Our when to plant Romaine lettuce estimates are relative to your last frost date.
Most dictionaries trace the word cos to the name of the Greek island of Cos, from which the lettuce was presumably introduced. Other authorities (Davidson) trace it to the Arabic word for lettuce.
Romaine lettuce is often used in the Passover Seder as a type of bitter herb, to symbolise the bitterness inflicted by the Egyptians whilst the Israelites were slaves in Egypt.
Cos lettuce, Lattuga romana, Laitue romaine
Lactuca sativa longifolia
Misspellings: Romain, romain lettuce