How to Grow Little Gem Romaine Lettuce

Find a site in full sun that has loamy soil with a high organic content. Add compost to the soil if needed.

Start Little Gem seeds indoors if you live in a cooler area, about four weeks before transplanting them outside. Or sow the seeds directly into the ground as soon as the soil is workable. In milder climates, they can be sown from spring through fall in successive plantings. Successive sowings can be planted at 14-day intervals. Sow the seeds to a depth of ¼ to ½ inch using a hand spade. Seeds will germinate in one to two weeks. Plant the seeds in rows approximately 1 foot apart, and protect the seedlings from the wind so they do not dry out.

Apply a mulch of grass clippings, hay or straw in a 2- to 3-inch layer. This will help to control weed growth and will retain soil moisture.

Add compost as a side dressing a week or so after seedlings appear. Continue to feed Little Gem lettuce plants with compost every few weeks until harvest time.

Water to moisten the soil to a depth of 6 inches; lettuce plants require a constantly moist soil. This is especially essential when the plants are one or two weeks away from harvest so they do not produce flowers. The optimal time to water is in the morning so the leaves can dry in the sunlight.

Harvest the lettuce as soon as it is big enough to use, which is approximately 60 days after planting. When a central stem starts to form, the plant is getting ready to bolt. Lettuce is best picked in the early morning for maximum carotene. Refrigerate immediately to maintain its freshness.