Little Gem lettuce is a delicious variety that has become increasingly popular among home gardeners in recent years. This mini romaine lettuce is known for its tender sweet leaves and crisp texture. With the right harvesting techniques you can enjoy Little Gem lettuce at its absolute best!
Overview of Little Gem Lettuce
- Little Gem is a cross between romaine and butterhead lettuce, resulting in small, compact heads with tender leaves.
- The heads reach about 4-6 inches tall when mature.
- It matures quickly in around 40 days.
- Little Gem is suitable for growing baby greens or mature, mini heads.
- It has good heat tolerance compared to other lettuce varieties.
When to Harvest Little Gem Lettuce
Timing your harvest correctly is important to get the best flavor and yield from Little Gem lettuce Here are some tips on identifying the right growth stages
- Baby greens – Begin harvesting leaves when they are 2-4 inches tall. This is usually around 3-4 weeks after sowing.
- Mature heads – Allow heads to grow to full size, usually about 4-6 inches tall. Harvest the entire head when it feels firm and leaves overlap to form a tight head. This is generally 40-50 days after sowing.
- Monitor carefully and harvest before the plant bolts. Bolting is when the plant rapidly sends up a seed stalk. It causes bitterness and ends the harvest window.
- Little Gem can withstand light frosts, but colder freezing weather will damage the crop.
Aim to cut lettuce in the early morning when leaves are crisp and full of moisture. Heat causes lettuce to wilt rapidly after harvest.
How to Cut Little Gem Lettuce
Using the right technique prevents damage to the lettuce crown that could inhibit further growth:
- Use a sharp knife or garden scissors for clean cuts. Tearing leaves by hand can damage the crown.
- Cut the stem about 1 inch above the soil line. Any lower risks cutting into the growing point.
- When harvesting baby greens, cut the entire plant leaving just an inch or two of stem. This allows it to re-grow for multiple harvests.
- Gently wash lettuce after harvest and pat dry if needed. Store in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or container.
For mature heads, you can either harvest the entire head at once or selectively pick mature outer leaves over several weeks. Taking a few leaves from different plants prevents over-picking any one plant.
Maximizing Yield Through Proper Care
Taking some basic steps when planting and caring for Little Gem lettuce will maximize your harvest:
- Prepare fertile garden soil enriched with compost or organic matter. Lettuce thrives with consistent moisture and nutrition.
- Water plants regularly, providing about 1-2 inches per week. Ensure soil stays moist but not saturated.
- Use mulch around plants to retain soil moisture and reduce weeds.
- Fertilize every 2-3 weeks with a balanced organic fertilizer. Fish emulsion is a good choice.
- Monitor for pests like slugs, snails and aphids which can damage young plants. Remove any infected leaves promptly.
With its quick growth time and ability to regrow after cutting, Little Gem lettuce can provide multiple harvests from one planting. Follow these best practices for harvesting and you’ll enjoy an abundant supply of this crispy mini lettuce.
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Little Gem is a cross between butterhead and romaine, giving it the unique trait of having romaine’s crunch with the sweetness and small size of a butterhead. Can be grown for baby greens or for heads. Baby leaves can be grown as cut-and-come-again (they grow upright, making them easy to harvest). Harvest as head lettuce and youll get miniature, 4 – 6” tall romaine heads with a crispy heart. Little Gem is heat tolerant, so its a good choice for summer lettuce. We first grew it in 2000 and have been very happy with its warm weather performance. Its small size lends itself to container gardening and growing in small spaces. Crisp leaves add welcomed flavor as well as a crisp texture to salads.
30 days baby, 55 days to maturity.
In general, lettuce prefers cool weather and will bolt (flower) earlier in hot weather – this lettuce is more heat tolerant. For early head lettuce, start seeds indoors 3/1 at 68° (cover flat with a dome and expose seeds to light). Sow lettuce seeds outside anytime between 3/27 – 6/30. You can try to sow lettuce seeds 7/1-8/1 but lettuce seeds will not germinate when the soil temperature is over 80° – try covering seeds with row cover fabric to keep them cool and moist. Lettuce seeds need light to germinate – plant seeds on the surface of the soil and pat gently with a hand. Keep seeds constantly moist until germination. Days to germination: 2-14 days. Space head lettuce 6.5” apart. For baby lettuce broadcast sow seeds.
Baby Leaves: for cut-and-come-again, when leaves are 2-4” tall, cut entire plant with scissors 1″ above the soil so you don’t damage the growing crown. Return for several harvests. Heads: Little Gem will make a small tight head (about 4” diameter). Harvest head at full size before it begins to bolt.
Lettuce is mostly self-pollinated and rarely crosses with other lettuces. Isolation distance: 12’. Minimum population size: 5-10 plants. Remove early bolting plants. If lettuce stems fall over, stake them. Harvest lettuce seeds as they begin to mature (they will form dandelion like white plumes on them). Harvest seeds by tapping stems to shake seeds into a bucket. It is best to harvest lettuce seed after several days of dry weather. Harvest seeds over several weeks.
Maximize Harvesting Lettuce With The Cut and Come Again Method
FAQ
Are little gem lettuce cut and come again?
If you don’t manage to do successional lettuce don’t worry because one thing I found last year is that if you cut a little gem lettuce leave the stump in the ground and in a few weeks it will have sprouted again to give a much smaller lettuce but still edible.
How and when to harvest little gem lettuce?
Baby Leaves: for cut-and-come-again, when leaves are 2-4” tall, cut entire plant with scissors 1″ above the soil so you don’t damage the growing crown. Return for several harvests. Heads: Little Gem will make a small tight head (about 4” diameter). Harvest head at full size before it begins to bolt.
When should you harvest little gem lettuce?
It is advisable to harvest lettuce just before it is mature. The leaves are tender when they’re young. Before maturity, you can harvest leaf lettuce by removing outer leaves and exposing the inner leaves. What does little gem lettuce look like? The Little Gem lettuce is small.
How do you harvest little gem lettuce?
To harvest Little Gem lettuce heads, use a sharp knife or shears to cut the heads off at the base. Be careful not to damage any surrounding leaves or the growing point at the center of the plant. Immediately after harvesting, rinse the heads under cool water to remove any dirt or debris.
How do you grow little gem lettuce?
Place the container in a sunny spot or under grow lights for indoor setups. Water consistently and fertilize every 3–4 weeks to replenish nutrients in the container soil. Little Gem lettuce is ready to harvest 40–60 days after planting, when the heads are firm and compact. Use a sharp knife to cut the head at the base for a full harvest.
How long does little gem lettuce last?
Little Gem lettuce is ready to harvest 40–60 days after planting, when the heads are firm and compact. Use a sharp knife to cut the head at the base for a full harvest. For a cut-and-come-again approach, harvest outer leaves and allow the center to regrow. Store freshly harvested lettuce in the refrigerator for up to a week.
How long does little gem lettuce take to grow?
The small heads grow to about 6″ tall in the garden, making them the perfect size to harvest for a side salad. The leaves of this open-pollinated European heirloom variety have a satisfying texture similar to butterhead lettuce. Little Gem lettuce heads take about 40 days to grow in the garden after planting.
What is little gem lettuce?
Little Gem lettuce is a classic romaine-type mini variety known for its sweet taste and rich texture. The small heads grow to about 6″ tall in the garden, making them the perfect size to harvest for a side salad. The leaves of this open-pollinated European heirloom variety have a satisfying texture similar to butterhead lettuce.