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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow
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Home and Garden
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Planting and Growing
Growing Vegetables
How to Grow Lettuce from an Old Lettuce Stem Download Article A simple way to regrow lettuce Explore this Article Steps Steps Other Sections Tips and Warnings Things You'll Need Related Articles Reviewed by Ben Barkan
Last Updated: June 16, 2022 Approved
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This article was reviewed by Ben Barkan. Ben Barkan is a Garden and Landscape Designer and the Owner and Founder of HomeHarvest LLC, an edible landscapes and construction business based in Boston, Massachusetts. Ben has over 12 years of experience working with organic gardening and specializes in designing and building beautiful landscapes with custom construction and creative plant integration. He is a Certified Permaculture Designer, Licensed Construction Supervisor in Massachusetts, and a Licensed Home Improvement Contractor. He holds an associates degree in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 95% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 89,713 times.
If you have ever bought a pack of romaine lettuce from the store, you probably threw away the stem at the end. However, the stems have the potential to regrow their lettuce leaves, using only water and sunlight. This simple project can be a fun way for children (and adults) to learn how to reduce kitchen waste by improving the yield of a single plant.
Steps
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1 Cut off the end of the lettuce stalk. Make sure you don’t cut the stump to an excessively small size. About 1-2 inches of leaf should be left.
2 Place the stem in a small container of water. Ensure that the water level will cover the roots. Use approximately 1/2 inch of water. Advertisement
3 Put the stem and container near a window. A window that receives light for at least a few hours a day should suffice.
4 Replace the water in the container each day. This is to prevent the water from becoming dirty and mouldy. Unclean water can cause the lettuce to rot.
5 Observe your growing lettuce! Within 2 days you should see the first few leaves grow out of the center of your stem. You may find that some of the leaves leftover from the last stalk will start to turn brown and spotted.
6 Plant your lettuce in potting soil. After about 1 week or when the leaves have reached about 3 inches above the cut stem, it should be ready for planting. Make sure the soil covers the roots but not the old leaves.
7 Place your planted lettuce in the sun again. Water daily to keep the soil moist.
8 Watch your lettuce continue to grow taller! There may be a period where you do not notice much upward growth. Check the center, and you may find smaller leaves are being produced instead!
9 Harvest the leaves. Begin collecting leaves once they are big enough to make a small salad. Pluck or cut off the leaves and compost the stem. The average harvesting height is 8 inches.
10 Create a delicious salad with your home-grown lettuce leaves!
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Tips
There are many other vegetables that you can re-grow from scraps. Carrots, celery, peppers, garlic, ginger, and potatoes are common foods that can also regenerate. Find out what type of growing conditions these plants need, and start your very own garden! Thanks Helpful 7 Not Helpful 0
The lettuce does not grow back to the original size, so it's best to grow multiple stems at once to have enough for one normal-sized salad. Thanks Helpful 8 Not Helpful 1
Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement
Warnings
Only use Romaine lettuce. Iceberg lettuce will start to grow, but the leaves will quickly turn brown and die. Thanks Helpful 21 Not Helpful 0
Letting the lettuce grow for too long will result in it flowering and producing bitter leaves. Harvest the leaves before this occurs. Thanks Helpful 13 Not Helpful 2
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Things You'll Need
Romaine lettuce
Sunny window
Small pot or shallow container
Water
Potting soil
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About This Article
Reviewed by: Ben Barkan Garden & Landscape Designer This article was reviewed by Ben Barkan. Ben Barkan is a Garden and Landscape Designer and the Owner and Founder of HomeHarvest LLC, an edible landscapes and construction business based in Boston, Massachusetts. Ben has over 12 years of experience working with organic gardening and specializes in designing and building beautiful landscapes with custom construction and creative plant integration. He is a Certified Permaculture Designer, Licensed Construction Supervisor in Massachusetts, and a Licensed Home Improvement Contractor. He holds an associates degree in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This article has been viewed 89,713 times. 38 votes - 95% Co-authors: 8Updated: June 16, 2022 Views: 89,713 Categories: Growing Vegetables
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Reader Success Stories
Julie Fair
Jun 25, 2020
"Article explained very well how to grow lettuce. Also gave me info on growing other veg from scraps. Brilliant!"
More reader stories Hide reader stories Share your story
Did this article help you?
Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Reviewed by: Ben Barkan Garden & Landscape Designer Co-authors: 8Updated: June 16, 2022 Views: 89,71395% of readers found this article helpful. 38 votes - 95% Click a star to add your vote
Julie Fair
Jun 25, 2020
"Article explained very well how to grow lettuce. Also gave me info on growing other veg from scraps. Brilliant!"
Anonymous
May 20, 2024
"I have just started re-growing green leaf lettuce and I'm so excited that it's actually growing!" Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories
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Download Article A simple way to regrow lettuce Explore this Article Steps Steps Other Sections Tips and Warnings Things You'll Need Related Articles Reviewed by Ben Barkan 
How to Cut a Head of Iceberg Lettuce 
Advertisement 
Reviewed by: Ben Barkan Garden & Landscape Designer This article was reviewed by Ben Barkan. Ben Barkan is a Garden and Landscape Designer and the Owner and Founder of HomeHarvest LLC, an edible landscapes and construction business based in Boston, Massachusetts. Ben has over 12 years of experience working with organic gardening and specializes in designing and building beautiful landscapes with custom construction and creative plant integration. He is a Certified Permaculture Designer, Licensed Construction Supervisor in Massachusetts, and a Licensed Home Improvement Contractor. He holds an associates degree in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This article has been viewed 89,713 times. 38 votes - 95% Co-authors: 8 Updated: June 16, 2022 Views: 89,713 Categories: Growing Vegetables 
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1 Cut off the end of the lettuce stalk. Make sure you don’t cut the stump to an excessively small size. About 1-2 inches of leaf should be left. 
2 Place the stem in a small container of water. Ensure that the water level will cover the roots. Use approximately 1/2 inch of water. Advertisement 
3 Put the stem and container near a window. A window that receives light for at least a few hours a day should suffice. 
5 Observe your growing lettuce! Within 2 days you should see the first few leaves grow out of the center of your stem. You may find that some of the leaves leftover from the last stalk will start to turn brown and spotted. 
7 Place your planted lettuce in the sun again. Water daily to keep the soil moist. 
8 Watch your lettuce continue to grow taller! There may be a period where you do not notice much upward growth. Check the center, and you may find smaller leaves are being produced instead! 
10 Create a delicious salad with your home-grown lettuce leaves! Advertisement 