How to Grow Romaine Lettuce
Romaine lettuce is one of the most popular of lettuces in both the garden,
and the kitchen. Gardener's love it because it is fast growing, and forms
a loose head, that is easy to harvest. It takes up little space in
the garden, too. Sweet and delicious, Romaine lettuce is the basics for
Caesar salad.
Days to Maturity:
Romaine lettuce is ready to harvest in 65-70 days.
Sowing Romaine Lettuce Seeds:
Like other lettuces, Romaine seeds are very fine. Plant in rows, spreading
the seeds as thinly as possible. No matter how hard you try, they are very
difficult to disperse. Thinning seedlings is must. Cover the seeds with a
very fine layer of loose soil or starting mixture.
Romaine is a good candidate for an indoor start. They transplant easily.
You can also plant indoors in pots, or in container gardens on the deck.
When transplanting in the garden, you can give them the proper spacing.
How to Grow Romaine Lettuce:
Final spacing of the plants should be 12" apart, in rows 18" apart. For maximum
growth, avoid overcrowding. Whether starting indoors or out, you will likely
want to transplant your seedlings with the proper spacing for fast, full
development.
Romaine plants like cool weather and lots of moisture in rich, well
drained soil. Transplanting should only be done in cool, preferably cloudy
weather. If the weather is hot and sunny, we recommend putting off transplanting
if possible. If this is not possible, then transplant in the early evening
hours. Water thoroughly and every day after, unless it rains, for about a
week.
The key to growing crisp, sweet Romaine lettuce, is to get it growing
at a fast pace. That means plenty of water, and a healthy dose of fertilizer.
Tip: When transplanting lettuce in hot weather, place some form of
sun shade over the plant for a couple of days. Any makeshift shade will do.
Succession planting is a common and useful practice. Plant successive
crops for a constant supply of Romaine all season long. Plant small rows
or sections of your garden with Romaine every two weeks.
Harvesting:
You can pick Romaine as soon as it is big enough to use. The outer leaves
can be picked and the inner leaves allowed to grow. Or, use the plants pulled
while thinning. After cutting, Romaine will regrow, but will not be one nice,
neat head. It's better to start a new plant.
Insects and Pests:
Bunnies like lettuce. Got bunnies!? Then, a rabbit fence is in your future.
A variety of insects can pose a real problem. Lettuce is delicate and can
absorb many insecticides. If you want or need to use insecticides,
look for brands that are less harmful to you and the environment. We like
to avoid insecticides on leafy vegetables wherever possible. we suggest organic
sprays, and a willingness to give up some of the harvest to insects, versus
using pesticides. After all, one of the reasons most of us have gardens is
to avoid the pesticides.
Slugs are a real problem for all types of lettuces. There are a variety of
control methods. More on Slugs and snails.
Disease:
Romaine lettuce will wilt and rot in hot, humid weather. The plant will also
bolt or go to seed stage in higher heat. Heading or bunching types are more
susceptible to rotting and bolting. Leaf types grow and mature quickly, and
have fewer disease problems.
Hardiness:
Romaine lettuce thrives in cooler weather, with moderate moisture. It is
not fond of mid-summer heat, or dry conditions. Many gardeners will plant
a crop for spring and early summer harvest, leaving the mid summer months
to the tomatoes and the corn. Then, as the late summer heat begins to wane,
they plant a new lettuce crop for a fall harvest.
More Information:
Buy Vegetable Seeds Finest quality Ferry Morse Seed,
America's oldest seed company with their famous "guarantee to grow".
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More Information:
Buy Vegetable Seeds Finest quality Ferry Morse Seed,
America's oldest seed company with their famous "guarantee to grow". |
