Loose-leaf
Petite Rouge is a compact romaine lettuce that delivers elegant speckled bronze leaves perfect for garnishing and fresh eating. Maturing in just 70 days, this open-pollinated variety grows only 6 to 10 inches tall, making it wonderfully suited to containers, small spaces, and succession planting. Frost-tolerant and reliably productive across hardiness zones 2 through 10, Petite Rouge thrives in full sun and well-balanced soil, rewarding gardeners with beautiful, tender leaves that work as well on a salad plate as they do in a microgreens tray.
Full Sun
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2-10
10in H x ?in W
Annual
High
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The real draw here is the sheer speed and elegance of the harvest. Petite Rouge romaine produces those distinctive bronze-speckled leaves in just 70 days, and because it stays compact at 6 to 10 inches tall, you can squeeze it into tight garden corners or pots where larger lettuces wouldn't fit. The leaves have a delicate beauty that makes them as visually striking on a plate as they are tender to eat, and if you're impatient, you can cut microgreens in just 7 to 10 days.
Petite Rouge shines as a finishing element on composed salads and elegant plates, where its bronze-speckled appearance adds visual drama. The tender young leaves work beautifully in mixed greens, and because of their diminutive size and quick growth, they're an excellent candidate for microgreens production, ready to harvest in just a week or so for salads, soups, and garnishes.
Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost, keeping soil temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a seed-starting mix and keep it consistently moist but not waterlogged. Transplant seedlings outdoors once they have developed true leaves and the soil temperature has warmed to at least 50 degrees.
Harden off seedlings over 7 to 10 days by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions. Transplant into the garden when soil temperatures are stable, spacing plants 8 inches apart in full sun. Petite Rouge tolerates cool soil, so you can plant earlier in spring than many warm-season crops.
Direct sow seeds outdoors in spring as soon as soil can be worked, or in late summer for a fall crop. Scatter seeds thinly and press them gently into moist soil; they need light to germinate, so barely cover or leave uncovered. Keep soil consistently moist until seedlings emerge.
Begin harvesting outer leaves once plants reach 4 to 6 inches tall, roughly 50 to 60 days after planting. You can take individual outer leaves as needed, or wait until plants are fully mature at 70 days and harvest the entire head just above the soil line. For microgreens, cut at the soil line when shoots are 1 to 2 inches tall, which happens within 7 to 10 days of sowing. Harvest in the cool of morning for the crispest leaves.
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