Disinfect you knife before and after you harvest the lettuce. Lettuce is typically a cool-weather vegetable, but romaine is more heat-tolerant than other varieties, according to Organic Gardening. Growing conditions affect the maturity rate, so don't rely only on the calendar to tell you when to harvest. Horticulturalist Maggie Moran explains, “Take the lettuce and cut it about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the bottom. Cut the plant off at soil level with a sharp knife. If kept dry in the fridge, the romaine leaves should keep for about 10 days. Loose-leaf lettuce is a non-heading type of lettuce, second to romaine in nutritional value, and generally the easiest type for gardeners to grow. Pulling up the full romaine head will bring the roots out of the ground as well. When grown from seeds, romaine lettuce takes only a little less than 3 months to fully mature. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Bibb types such as Buttercrunch form a loose head; you can harvest anytime, but for the classic Bibb rosette, wait until the lettuce is nearly full … Did you know you can read expert answers for this article? You can tell when the heads are mature by their visual appearance: they’ll have a dark green color and look leafy and open. An immature romaine head is loose and compresses easily, while an overly ripe head feels hard to the touch. If you miss the maturity signs, your lettuce crop can quickly become overripe. Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania. Xiomara is a flexible Mini-Cos variety for year round season with high performance, a clean upright base, and good behavior in a Hydroponic system. Romaine lettuce is a healthy, popular variety of head lettuce, which is relatively easy to grow in a home garden or planter. This variety was popularized as a gourmet heirloom treat in England. Monitor the growth of the romaine as the maturity date nears to look for signs of readiness. The disadvantage is that each harvest will be relatively small. This will be a good indicator for approximately when to pick your lettuce. Hi Ashley. Though lettuce naturally thrives in spring, certain diseases like downy mildew are more apt to show up in damp, cool weather. Pinch off outer leaves of the romaine plants at any time during growth for baby lettuce leaves. When it’s ready, use a sharp pair of garden scissors to cut off the head of lettuce just above the base, or about 1 inch above the soil. Check the romaine in the morning when it nears harvest time. To learn how to harvest the individual lettuce leaves, read on! Harvesting first thing in the morning is ideal, because the lettuce is more crisp in the morning than it is later in the day. In conclusion, don’t expect a full head of romaine lettuce to fill your salad bowl. Romaine (Cos) Lettuce varieties. Wait too long, and the romaine loses its crisp texture. Lettuce is generally ready to harvest about 80 days after planting with seeds and about 60 days after using seedlings. Put this stem in a shallow dish filled with about 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) of water. This will ensure that the lettuce can grow again for a second harvest, roughly 55-60 days after the first one. Harvest the entire baby romaine plant when it reaches 6 to 8 inches tall, about 50 to 60 days after germination. Squeeze the heads to check. Little Gem romaine lettuce seeds produce small, personal size, mini romaine heads that will fit in the palm of your hand. ", transplanted to larger containers. If you lose track of time and forget to harvest in the morning, it’s best just to wait until the next morning and harvest then. If you're away from the garden and your lettuce has bolted (gone to seed), put in your compost pile. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. I use FoxFarm 3-2-6. Start spring crops indoors. Unlike iceberg lettuce, the romaine heads will not be densely closed in upon themselves when mature. Harvest the lettuce when it reaches between 6 and 8 inches tall, with leaves that begin to tighten. For an even earlier harvest, sow indoors; the seedlings don't mind transplanting. When the plant is big enough to your liking, the lettuce can be harvested. Easy to grow; Easy to harvest; Easy to process; Easy to enjoy! Regrow lettuce for fun, for topping a sandwich and to become more acquainted with the food you eat. Romaine and Butterhead lettuce can be harvested in about 60 to 70 days from planting. You’ll be able to get 3–4 additional harvests by picking only the mature, outermost leaves each time. Her experience comes from teaching, tutoring and managing educational after school programs. Calculate the estimated maturity date, which is typically about 55 to 65 days for romaine lettuce. Non-hearting types of lettuce can be harvested as soon as they have a few large leaves. Dry soil must be watered to ensure coolness and moisture, and for uniform germination. The ribs of romaine turn a milky color if the lettuce is left on the plant too long. You can also dig around in the soil a bit to remove any leftover roots that may be stuck in the soil. As a group it is the most forgiving of poor soil, is generally more heat-tolerant, and contains the largest diversity of attractive heirlooms. Lettuce is fast and easy to grow, but if you want a consistent harvest all season long, there are a few important things to know. "I planted Romaine lettuce for the first time and was unsure when to harvest it. For leaf lettuces, consider using a cut-and-come-again method. Cutting the romaine allows the plant to possibly grow additional lettuce. Romaine can be harvested in 1 of 2 ways: you can harvest the entire head of lettuce at once, whether by pulling up the head, roots and all, or by cutting off the head at the base. Thanks. By using our site, you agree to our. Last Updated: February 4, 2020 You can serve the lettuce immediately in a garden salad, or keep the leaves for up to 10 days in an airtight bag in your fridge. Harvesting a large crisp head of lettuce from the garden is a wonderful thing, but for faster yields and longer harvests, a cut and come again lettuce bed can put salad on your plate all season long. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. This trio of compact Romaine/Cos-type lettuce varieties make a tempting presentation when marketed together as a 3-pack. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/57\/Harvest-Romaine-Lettuce-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Harvest-Romaine-Lettuce-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/57\/Harvest-Romaine-Lettuce-Step-1.jpg\/aid10069574-v4-728px-Harvest-Romaine-Lettuce-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"