Little Gem Mini-romaine is a compact lettuce that brings romaine crunch into tight spaces, reaching just 6 inches tall with a harvest window of 20 to 68 days depending on your growing conditions. This frost-tolerant cultivar thrives across hardiness zones 3 through 11, making it accessible to gardeners from cold climates to warm regions. Its diminutive size belies its full romaine character, delivering the crisp, substantial leaves you'd expect from larger varieties in a form that fits containers, raised beds, and succession plantings with ease.
Partial Sun
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3-11
6in H x ?in W
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Low
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Little Gem's compact stature and remarkably quick turnaround time make it a game-changer for impatient gardeners and those with limited space. You can have harvestable heads in as little as 20 days under ideal conditions, and its frost tolerance means you can push the growing season further into fall and earlier in spring than standard lettuce varieties. The 6-inch mature height makes successive sowings practical; you can stagger plantings every three weeks and never run out of fresh romaine.
Little Gem works beautifully in salads where you want substantial, crisp romaine leaves without the bulk of full-size heads. Its small, tender heads are perfect for individual servings or as the foundation for wedge salads, Caesar preparations, or composed salads where you want intact, unblemished leaves. The compact size also makes it ideal for farmers markets and home gardeners selling small quantities at local scales.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your average last frost date, and again in summer when soil temperatures exceed 80°F, since warm soil prevents germination. Transplant seedlings that are approximately 1/2 inch tall.
Transplant 4 to 6 weeks before your average last frost date, and in summer when outdoor soil temperatures are too warm (above 80°F) for direct seeding. Space transplants 6 inches apart in rows 6 inches apart.
Sow directly outside 2 to 4 weeks before your average last frost date when soil temperature reaches at least 40°F, ideally 60 to 70°F. Continue successive sowings every 3 weeks until 4 to 6 weeks before your average first fall frost date. In mild climates, sow in fall and winter for cool season harvests.
Harvest Little Gem heads when they reach full maturity, which typically occurs 20 to 68 days after sowing depending on temperature and growing conditions. You can harvest individual outer leaves once plants establish, or wait for the entire head to firm up and develop its characteristic compact romaine form. Cut heads at the base with a sharp knife in the early morning when leaves are crisp and hydrated.
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