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How to Grow Romaine Indoors
There are few things more refreshing than a crisp, fresh salad—especially if you grew the lettuce yourself. If you’re thinking of starting your own indoor garden, romaine lettuce should definitely be one of the vegetables you should consider. Romaine, known in some places as cos lettuce from its origin on Kos island in Greece, is one of the most common and well-known types of lettuce. With its versatility in dishes and delicious flavor, you’ll find yourself reaching for your home-grown romaine often.
Ready to cool down from the sizzling summer by concocting refreshing Mediterranean salads or even your homemade Caesar salad? Gardyn’s Home Kits are equipped to cultivate a long list of vegetables, fruits, and vegetables all year round. Discover a new gardening solution that is adapted to you.
DAYS TO SPROUT
7 - 10 DAYS
MATURE IN
68 DAYS
TASTE IT FOR
3 - 5 WEEKS
Table of Contents
Care & Harvest
🌡️ Temperature
Lettuce prefers cooler temperatures (60-70F), and if placed in higher temperatures, it will turn bitter, bolt, and flower early.
✂️ Pruning
🥬 Harvest
Lettuce can be picked as individual leaves or harvested as a full head. For ongoing harvest, once the leaves are 4 inches tall, snip the outer leaves an inch above the base of the plant and let the inner leaves continue to grow and mature. Do not cut more than one-third of the plant if you want it to keep growing.
Why Grow Romaine Indoors?
It’s easier than you’d think to grow romaine at home, and there are many benefits that come from harvesting it yourself. While romaine is commonly found year-round in grocery stores, the nutritional content and flavor is lower quality than what you would get when growing it at home.
Fresher Produce
Romaine grown in your own home is fresher and more reliable than what you may buy conventionally at your supermarket. You can harvest it as soon as it’s ripe and not need to worry about wilted leaves bringing down the quality of your salads. Say good-bye to pesticides and the big question mark surrounding where your store-bought lettuce comes from.
Nourishing Your Health
Home-grown plants aren’t just tastier—they’re healthier, too. Freshly-picked produce retains most of its nutrients so the romaine you grow and harvest yourself will be better for you than what you find at any grocery store.
Less Chance For Disease And Pests
A vegetable grown indoors is less likely to become infested with garden pests looking to make a meal of your crops such as snails or slugs. And since you’re able to monitor the soil and ensure your romaine is getting the nutrients it needs, they’re also less prone to diseases that have the tendency to affect commercially-grown produce found in stores.
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Bite sized superfood packed with nutrients and loaded with flavor. Go from seed to harvest in just one week.
What Do You Need To Grow Romaine Indoors?
Romaine lettuce can be grown in the comfort of your home with just a few supplies. With the best seeds as well as the required light, soil, and temperature control, romaine will flourish right in your kitchen, making cooking with it a breeze, and only in a matter of weeks.
Seeds
Romaine seeds are available from a variety of places—there’s even a number of online plant stores that will ship seeds directly to your door. If you prefer to sow your romaine from seedlings, however, it’s best to go to a local nursery. Seedlings may be best if you enjoy having harvestable romaine sooner, and you have to worry less about whether or not the seeds will germinate.
Soil
Soil will be the base of your indoor romaine garden, so finding the right kind is important. Romaine prefers loose soil that drains well—this will prevent your plants from getting root rot. High-quality, loamy potting soil with proper nutrients is best for your lettuce to truly thrive.
Light
Romaine is unique as a lettuce variety because it’s more tolerant of shade—it can grow with just around six hours of direct sunlight per day, making it perfect for indoor gardens. But if you know your plants won’t be getting that amount of sun, a lighting system can supply your romaine lettuce with the light it needs to grow. Most indoor gardeners choose LED strips, but since romaine requires a lower amount of light fluorescent bulbs can also be used.
Temperature
How To Plant Romaine Indoors
You’ve purchased your romaine seeds—or maybe seedlings, if you want less guesswork—and now you have to plant them. Here’s how to set up an indoor garden tailored for romaine.
Step 1: Preparing The Planter
Romaine will grow best in wide, shallow containers with plenty of drainage holes—just make sure you have something underneath to catch the water drainage! A simple plastic window box will work great to start your indoor romaine garden.
Step 2: Planting Your Romaine
There are two options when planting romaine: planting the seeds from scratch, or buying seedlings and transplanting them. If planting seeds, sow them in the top layer of soil, tamp down, and then cover with a very light layer of soil—romaine seeds need light to germinate and sprout. If you’re transplanting romaine, the method is like any other seedling: simply dig a hole large enough for the pot it came in, place the seedling inside, and then fill the remaining space with soil.
Step 3: When To Plant
How to Care for Your Romaine
So you’ve planted your romaine—now how do you care for it? Growing romaine lettuce is one of the easier plants to grow. Learn and follow these simple tips and your garden will be flourishing in no time.
STEP 1: Watering
Romaine is one of the hardier leaf greens, but it’s susceptible to overwatering. If your romaine sits in soaked soil it’s more likely to get root rot, which will kill the plants from the bottom up. To prevent this, make sure the soil isn’t too damp before watering it. No fancy tools needed—just stick your finger about 2 inches into the soil.
If the soil sticks to your finger, it’s got enough moisture, but if it’s too dry to stick, it needs to be watered.
STEP 2: Fertilizing
Though romaine can grow with just potting soil and proper care, fertilizer can greatly improve the quality of your produce. If you’ve got a compost bin, adding compost to your garden before planting can introduce nutrients and moisture that will help your plants thrive. But if your household doesn’t generate enough food waste to make composting viable, commercial brands of fertilizer specifically engineered for indoor gardens are a good pick to use for growing romaine indoors.
STEP 3: Pest Control
Harvesting And Using Your Romaine
Romaine can be harvested one of two ways—individual leaves can be snipped off with sharp scissors, or you can cut the whole head at the base. If you’re going for the latter, make sure to leave about an inch so the plant is able to regrow.
When you think of cooking with romaine lettuce, your first thought is probably salad—and while its crisp, mild leaves make a great base for your classic Caesar or Cobb, there’s a world of recipes romaine can be used in. Cooked into soups or stews, it adds a bit of crunch and a slight, pleasant bitterness to richer dishes. It’s also sturdy enough to be used as a replacement for pitas or tortillas if you’re looking for a gluten-free alternative for your wraps. And it responds surprisingly well to heat—cook some in a pan like any other leafy green or throw a whole wedge on the grill for a gorgeous char.
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