How to Plant Romaine Lettuce Seeds: A Complete Growing Guide Jenny Graham, August 16, 2024August 16, 2024 With grocery store prices on the rise and unstable supply chains, learning to grow your own food is a goal for many of us. While lettuce may not be the best survival food to grow, who doesn’t love a good salad? Let’s take a look at how to plant romaine lettuce seeds in the garden, raised beds, or your small container garden. What is Romaine Lettuce & How to Plant Romaine Lettuce Seeds Romaine or cos lettuce is a cool-weather crop of lettuce that grows into a tall head of dark green leaves that have firm ribs down their centers. It is a nutrient-dense, crisp lettuce that can be harvested as baby leaves or the entire plant as a whole head of lettuce. How to Plant Romaine Lettuce Seeds Why You Should Be Growing Romaine Lettuce If you learn how to plant romaine lettuce seeds you’ll find that it is a fast, easy grower if given the right growing conditions in cool temperatures. You can grow a lot in a small place. Since romaine lettuce is a cool-season crop, intercropping it as a companion plant with brassicas in the early spring or fall and winter garden makes the most out of your garden space. How to Plant Romaine Lettuce Seeds If growing your own romaine lettuce or cos lettuce is your goal, there are three ways you can get started. Choose which option makes the most sense to you and get started growing your own romaine lettuce. I do encourage you to learn how to plant romaine lettuce seeds though. It is much more cost-effective than buying transplants from the nursery. Planting From Transplants- Plants that are ready to go in the ground or containers will give a quick, but more expensive harvest. Starting Seeds Indoors- Start seeds indoors a few weeks before you are ready to get a head start. Planting Seeds Outdoors- Direct sow romaine lettuce seeds into the garden. How to Plant Romaine Lettuce Seeds: An Easy and Affordable Salad When you learn how to plant romaine lettuce seeds, not only will you see how easy it is but also how affordable it is. As we all know, prices at the stores are continually going up. I’m seeing small starter plants for the vegetable garden at the store for a least $5-$6. On the other hand, a pack of quality seeds will cost around $4-$5. A pack of seeds will give you the chance to grow sometimes hundreds of plants vs. one starter plant. Choosing the Best Romaine Lettuce Seeds Buying high-quality seeds is the first step in learning how to plant romaine lettuce seeds to successfully grow lettuce. Hoss Tools has an excellent selection of heirloom and hybrid seeds to choose from. I prefer to grow an heirloom variety, Parris Island Romaine. It does well in warm climates. There are many different types of lettuce though. When to Sow Romaine Lettuce Seeds Since romaine lettuce is a cool-weather crop it can be grown in the spring, fall, and winter. It will not thrive in the hot summers. Romaine lettuce seeds should be started 4-6 weeks before your last spring frost. You can also start lettuce seeds 6-8 weeks before the first frost in fall. To find your average frost dates you can enter your zip code here. Starting Seeds in Containers or Trays When starting seeds at home, many gardeners try and use what they have at home. Since lettuce grows with a pretty shallow root system, you can reuse small containers like egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, or small yogurt cups. Whatever you end up using when learning how to plant romaine lettuce seeds, just be sure your containers have drainage holes. If starting seeds at home is going to be a regular thing, investing in some high-quality seed starting trays is a great idea. They will last you for years to come. You’ll never have to search for seed-starting containers again. Start With a Good Seed Starting Mix Just any old dirt won’t do. Seed starting mixes are designed to be well-draining, yet don’t dry out too quickly. They have an especially light and fluffy texture so seeds can germinate and start spreading roots easily through the moist soil. Sowing Romaine Lettuce Seeds No matter where you plant your romaine lettuce seeds, learning how to plant romaine lettuce seeds will be the same. Sow your lettuce seeds 1/4 inch deep in a good, premoistened seed starting mix. Direct seeding in the garden is also doable if the soil temperatures are cool enough. When learning how to plant romaine lettuce seeds, I like to sow a few seeds per hole and thin them when they are a few inches tall. Covering them lightly with soil and keeping them moist is important. Optimal Seed Germination Conditions Lettuce is a cool-season crop so it prefers cooler soil temperatures, ideally between 45-65 degrees F, making it tricky to germinate in warmer climates. Starting seeds indoors, if you live in a warmer climate, can help to control the soil temperatures. This will help germinate those seeds for your winter and fall crops. Keeping the Soil Moist In order for your seeds to germinate properly the soil surface must be kept moist. Checking for dampness in the soil is always a good idea before you water. Excess water is just as bad as not enough water. Using a spray bottle and a bottom watering tray will keep consistent moisture without disturbing the soil, which could dislodge the seeds. Caring for Your Seedlings Once your seeds germinate they will need light. If you start them indoors, you can hang grow lights a few inches above the seedlings. This will keep them from getting too leggy, stretching for light. Alternatively, you can put them in a sunny window but I have found that a grow light works best, being directly overhead. Last but not least, don’t forget to keep that soil moist! Fertilizing Your Seedlings Most seed-starting mixes do not have any nutrients added to them. For this reason, you’ll want to fertilize your seedlings. Mixing up some fish emulsion into a gallon of water and pouring it into your bottom trays is an easy way to fertilize your seedlings. This can be done on a weekly basis. Succession Planting Romaine Lettuce For a steady supply of lettuce, you should consider succession planting. Make a plan to sow seeds every two weeks throughout the cool temperatures to stay in fresh, crisp lettuce. Hardening Off Your Lettuce Seedlings Hardening off your seedlings before planting them out into your growing area will help set them up for success. Start slowly by putting them outside into similar conditions to where they will finally be planted so they can acclimate. Everyday, increase the time by a couple of hours. Just be sure to keep them watered! Transplanting and Timing When transplanting young plants, put them in 2-4 weeks before your last spring frost and 2-4 weeks after your first fall frost. To find your average frost dates you can enter your zip code here. The time of day you transplant out is also important. I prefer to plant out in the evening so they have the night to settle into their new homes. This makes for an easier transition into the garden. Selecting Your In-Ground Site Like many vegetables, lettuce can be grown in full sun but will also do well in partial shade. Choose a growing area in full sun for your vegetable garden as you can always add shade cloth where needed. Since I live in Florida, most of my cool season vegetables are grown under 50% shade cloth and do amazing. A little bit of shade keeps them from bolting early in the high temperatures we can sometimes have, even in the winter. Growing Lettuce in Pots or Raised Beds Lettuce grows well in a variety of setups. From in-ground rows, raised beds, a small container garden, a vertical grow tower, or even hydroponically. Lettuce is fast, easy crop to grow. Starting with amended, well-drained soil will get your plants off to a good start. Amending Your Soil The first step is to do a soil test to see what amendments you actually need. Lettuce will do best in a soil pH between 6.0-7.0. It likes a loose soil that has been amended with high quality compost. Grow Romaine Lettuce in Nutrient-Rich Soil Amending the soil with a good compost is a great start. In addition to that, a week before planting, I like to add 1 1/2 cups per 10 foot row of Hoss Complete Organic Fertilizer. I’ll add another 2 cups just 2 weeks after planting. Adding Organic Matter for Nutrient-Rich Soil Adding lots of organic matter to your soil regularly will also help you build nutrient-rich soil. You can do this by growing some extra “chop and drop” plants like kale or greens, dropping them right onto the soil to slowly breakdown overtime. Another great way to add organic matter is by planting a cover crop. My favorite right now is Sun Hemp. It has the potential to add lots of organic matter and nitrogen to the soil. Planting Your Romaine Plants Once you have amended your garden soil and it’s the right time, go ahead and transplant out your Romaine lettuce starts. They are great intercropped with brassicas, filling up extra space between plants. Adequate spacing requirements for Romaine lettuce is 8-12 inches apart. Watering Romaine Lettuce Romaine lettuce needs about 1-2 inches of water per week depending on your climate. I prefer to water a little everyday as they have pretty shallow roots so deep watering isn’t always necessary. Mulch Your Romaine Lettuce Don’t skip the mulch! Mulching around your romaine lettuce and other vegetables in the garden has so many benefits. Not only will it help conserve soil moisture, it regulates soil temperatures, reduces erosion, keeps weeds and grasses away, builds soil structure, and breaks down slowly over time, feeding your plants. Choosing the right mulch can be tricky. You might enjoy reading Bark Vs Mulch: The Best Mulch for the Vegetable Garden Feed Your Romaine Lettuce Throughout the growing season, especially if you are using organic fertilizers, you’ll want a consistent schedule. Organic fertilizers tend to be more gentle and are used up quickly. Watering with diluted fish emulsion, or even using it weekly as a foliar spray will help feed the soil and your romaine lettuce plants. Slugs Love Lettuce Slugs are one of the main culprits of lettuces. Planting things like garlic, onions, mint, and rosemary can naturally repel slugs and snails. Alternatively, setting a beer trap in the garden can trap slugs while using row covers can be a barrier. Diatomaceous earth sprinkled around your plants can also keep slugs away. Weed and Grass Control Letting weeds and grass creep into the vegetable garden can be detrimental to your plants, stealing valuable nutrients. Trust me though, I know it’s hard to keep up with, especially in the spring and summertime. My garden becomes a literal jungle by late summer. That’s one of the reasons why I love fall and winter gardening. Overall, there are fewer weeds, pests, and grass in the vegetable garden. Pick a day of the week that you can dedicate to pulling those pesky weeds and grass so your plants don’t have to fight for nutrients. Harvest Romaine Lettuce as Baby Leaves or a Whole Head By the time you have reached the 30 day mark, you should be able to start snipping the outer individual leaves as baby greens. Cut the outer leaves above the growing point, at the base of the plant, to keep it coming back as cut and come again. You can also wait until the 60-70 day mark and harvest the entire plant as a whole head of romaine lettuce. You’ll get lots of salad greens out of a full size head of romaine. Hello Caesar Salad! Harvesting Romaine Lettuce for Flavor I have also found that harvesting lettuce super early in the morning will give you the best flavor with nice crisp leaves. If early morning is not possible, harvesting in the evening is the next best time. If you find that the lettuce is not crisp when you harvest, give it a nice ice bath to crisp it up. Storing Romaine Lettuce Once you have harvested your lettuce it will keep longer if you do not wash it. Save washing it right before you are ready to use it. I like to store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, with a slightly moistened paper towel folded up in the container. Letting Romaine Lettuce Go to Seed If you are growing an heirloom variety of romaine lettuce you can save lettuce seeds. The good news is it’s super easy and ups your sustainability game. Let one of your best lettuce plants bolt, or send up seed stalks. Those flowers will eventually become a white puff, dry out, and the seed heads can be snipped off. Tips for Growing Romaine Lettuce in Florida The best time to grow lettuce in Florida is during the very early spring and winter months. I like to plant Romaine lettuce in between my taller plants, like collard and mustard greens, so they have plenty of shade. I will often grow lettuce under a shade cloth as well, as they will thrive in cooler temperatures. Heat Tolerant Lettuce Varieties Look for heat-tolerant lettuce varieties that do well in the south. My favorite for romaine is Parris Island Romaine. Some other lettuce varieties I like to grow in Florida are: Black Seeded Simpson (Leaf Lettuce) Great Lakes 118 (Crisphead) Little Gem (Romaine) Marvel of Four Season (Butterhead) New Red Fire (Leaf Lettuce) Red Sails (Leaf Lettuce) How to Plant Romaine Lettuce Seeds for Fresh Crisp Lettuce I feel pretty confident that you too can grow your own romaine lettuce right at home no matter your set up. You’ll never know until you try. If it doesn’t go well, then try again. Gardening is sometimes trial and error. Just try and figure out what went wrong and go from there. After all, it was created to grow! Happy Homesteading & Gardening, Jenny @ The GrahamStead Family Farm Jenny and her family have been homesteading for more than two decades. They currently live on a 10-acre farm in Northeast Florida, which they built from the ground up, nine years ago. On their farm, they grow 100% of their meat and most of their vegetables. With a small herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle, pastured poultry, sheep, and seasonal pigs, they not only meet their family’s meat needs but also sell their surplus to the local community. They are dedicated to sustainable practices like making compost, seed saving, and processing much of their garden and animal harvests at home. You can find Jenny wandering through her garden, making herbal tinctures, preserving food, making bone broth, and one of Jenny’s favorite hobbies, tanning all types of hides. Sources: https://growhoss.com/blogs/growing-guides/lettuce-growing-guide Gardening Homesteading