Growing Romaine Lettuce, Step-by-Step - Growfully

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You will always find romaine lettuce (aka: cos lettuce) in my garden. It’s easy to grow, stupendously crunchy, and super versatile in the kitchen. There are many types of lettuce you can grow—and we recommend you try out other leaf lettuces and head lettuces, too—but romaine is my favorite for its flavor, texture, and ease. There are literally hundreds of varieties of romaine in colors from bright lime green to so dark red it almost looks black.

We’re going to give you all the info you need to grow cos lettuce in your own garden at home—you are just a few weeks away from amazing Caesar salads! Let’s get growing.

Table of Contents

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• Is romaine lettuce easy to grow?
• Can romaine lettuce grow in shade?
• Are there different varieties of romaine lettuce?
• Should I grow romaine lettuce from seeds or plants?
• When should I plant lettuce?
• How long does it take to grow romaine lettuce?
• How do I direct sow lettuce?
• How do I start and transplant lettuce seedlings?
• How can I help my growing romaine lettuce plants thrive?
• What can I plant near my romaine lettuce?
• Do I need to rotate my crop?
• Can I grow romaine in containers?
• Can I grow romaine lettuce indoors?
• How do you harvest romaine lettuce?
• Can you cut and come again romaine lettuce?
• Troubleshooting

Is romaine lettuce easy to grow?

Definitely. Whenever we get asked about good vegetables for beginners to grow, lettuce and radishes are at the top of our list. It isn’t particularly fussy and it grows quickly, so you can enjoy some bounty from the garden relatively early. In particular, we think romaine is the easiest of all lettuces to grow!

Can romaine lettuce grow in shade?

Leafy greens such as lettuce are the most tolerant of shade, but the plants still need at least 4 to 6 hours of direct sun a day. If you don’t have a full sun spot for lettuce, you can plant it where the romaine will get morning sun and light afternoon shade. In fact, all lettuces will appreciate a little afternoon shade—especially during the hotter parts of the year.

Are there different varieties of romaine lettuce?

There are two main types of lettuce: heading lettuces and looseleaf lettuce. Romaine is a type of heading lettuce with upright, more elongated leaves. But romaine isn’t just one kind of lettuce—there are lots of romaine lettuce varieties! These are some of our favorites:

• Valmaine is a more heat-tolerant romaine lettuce variety. It is bright lime green and produces huge heads that will make a big enough Caesar salad to feed an entire family! It is a favorite in the Growfully gardens! We have grown it for well over a decade.
• Flashy Trout’s Back is a green and red speckled lettuce (see the photo above) that looks beautiful in a salad bowl. It has a slightly more open head, but still has the crisp leaves you expect from cos lettuce.
• Truchas has beautiful ombre leaves that go from deep, dark burgundy at the tips to bright lime green at the core. It is truly one of the most beautiful lettuces we’ve ever grown. Truchas produces mini heads—which are perfect for single folks or small families.
• Little Gem is a dwarf variety with green leaves that is great for tight spaces.
• Cimmaron has dark red-purple leaves and a green heart. Like Valmaine, it is slower to bolt than most romaine varieties.
• Winter Density is a more cold-tolerant variety, making it a good choice for northern climates with chillier springs.

Should I grow romaine lettuce from seeds or plants?

Both are great options for growing romaine lettuce. Because lettuce plants produce relatively quickly, you can direct sow the seeds and still have plenty of time to harvest from each plant more than once. But if you want fresh veggies earlier in the spring, starting some seedlings indoors can give you a head start so you’re well on your way to crisp spring salads.

Growfully Protip

We tend to do both. We start a handful of lettuce plants from seed in late-winter, but then also direct sow lettuce seeds as soon as the soil can be worked. This gives us a nice succession of lettuce all season long.

When should I plant lettuce?

Lettuce can handle cooler soil temperatures than many other vegetables. Direct sow seeds or set out transplants 4-6 weeks before the last frost. If you’d like to start seeds indoors for an earlier harvest, start them 8-12 weeks before the last frost.

In milder climates, you can sow lettuce again in the late summer for a fall harvest. Direct sow lettuce seeds 6-8 weeks before your first frost in the fall. Depending on your climate, you might need to protect the young lettuce seedlings from the punishing heat of late summer. You can do this with shade fabric or by planting the lettuce seedlings around the base of a tall plant (like your tomatoes).

How long does it take to grow romaine lettuce?

Most romaine lettuce varieties will be ready to harvest as full heads within 50-75 days. You can start harvesting leaves from the outside of the plants within 30 days or so.

How do I direct sow lettuce?

Like most vegetables, romaine lettuce plants enjoy loose, rich soil with good drainage.

1. Amend the soil with compost before planting.
2. Sow seeds on top of the soil, lightly tamp down, and just barely cover with a dusting of soil. Lettuce seeds need light to germinate, so you don’t want to cover them too much. Romaine lettuce needs a bit more spacing to grow the large heads, so we recommend sowing 2-3 seeds every 9-12 inches (depending on the size of romaine variety you are growing).
3. Water carefully (the mister setting on an adjustable hose nozzle is perfect for this), and keep the top of the soil damp until germination.
4. Once seedlings have grown to about 1″ in height, thin the plants to one lettuce plant for every 9-11 inches.

Succession Planting

Sow more romaine lettuce seeds every two weeks in the spring and early summer to have continuous lettuce harvests.

Growfully Protip

We recommend starting your lettuce succession planting with cold-hardy varieties. As you get closer to warmer weather, start sowing varieties that are heat-tolerant and bolt-resistant.

How do I start and transplant lettuce seedlings?

1. Fill a cell with sterile seed starting mix.
2. Sow 2-3 seeds on the surface of the starting medium, and lightly tamp down.
3. Gently water with a mister or spray bottle. Keep the top of the seed starting mix evenly moist until germination. Place the seeds in a warm area to germinate. You should see some seeds popping up within 5 to 7 days.
4. Once seedlings are about an inch tall, clip any extra seedlings in each spot with a small pair of scissors.
5. Seedlings can be planted out 4-6 weeks before the last frost date. Harden off the seedlings, and amend the garden soil with compost.
6. Dig a hole that is slightly larger than the seedling pot.
7. Place the seedling in the hole, and backfill with soil, using your hands to tamp down the soil around the plant.
8. Give the romaine seedlings 9 to 12 inches spacing between plants.

How can I help my growing romaine lettuce plants thrive?

Lettuce plants are fairly low-maintenance once they are in the ground. Eventually, the plants will bolt—it’s just the nature of growing romaine lettuce! Here’s how we care for our lettuce plants and delay bolting as much as possible: