Red Romaine Lettuce

An Intro to Red Romaine

MY STATUS: Grown Successfully to Harvest   

Red Romaine is a variety of loose-leaf lettuce that is belongs in the Romaine familyand may have come from Romania (hence the name) . It's identical to Parris Island Cos, except that the leaves are deep red or magenta instead of light green. The plant can grow to be 10 inches tall. It's a great lettuce for mixed-green salads.

SOIL

The plant grows well in well-drained, loamy soil.

HOW MUCH SUN?

I've found this species to be very tolerant to Pohnpei's hot, humid conditions, but even so it should not be left out in direct sun after about 9 AM. Keep it in open shade for the rest of the day.

HOW MUCH WATER?

Each plant needs about 1 inch of water a week. Keep the soil moist, but avoid waterlogging, which will rot the roots. Water at the base, not on the leaves, as the latter can encourage mold growth.

GROWING IN CONTAINERS

I've found Red Romaine to be container-friendly. It grows well in fairly small pots, too, but make sure it has good drainage.

PESTS

The usual lettuce villains threaten, but you can avoid almost all of them simply by keeping your containers on a porch away from the ground.

PICK OFTEN

Cutting leaves when they are small and tender is the best tactic. Young leaves are more flavorful, and the constant picking will stimulate the plant's growth.

FERTILIZE

Like most lettuces, Red Romaine does best when compost or fertilizer is added on a regular basis (once a week)--especially when growing in containers. I use a fish emulsion most of the time, but high nitrogen fertilizers, like chicken or steer manure, work will with plants grown for their leaves.

HARVESTING

Parris Island Cos should be ready to pick about 70 days after germination. Individual leaves can be picked as needed. Cut them off near the base.

What I Did

DAY 1 - SOWING

I sowed my Ferry-Morse StartSmart seeds in a shallow, rectangular container. I put a thin layer of gravel on the bottom and filled the rest with a standard mix of potting soil. The container is being kept in full sun until germination, after which it will be moved to the shade.

DAY 3 - GERMINATION

The Red Romaine has been the third fastest germinating of the varieties in my mesclun mix. Just over 48 hours. Once germinated, the container was moved to open shade, as these plants prefer cooler weather.

DAY 12

Seedlings have increased in size and some are starting to see the development of true leaves.

DAY 19

A several-day stretch of hot, sunny weather wiped out a lot of my seedlings but the strongest have survived.

DAY 49

Development has been very slow, but the plants are making it. They get about an hour of direct sun early in the morning and stay in open shade the rest of the time.

DAY 64

The best-looking Red Romaine plants in my original container were transplanted into their own small pots and are thriving. I think they are about ready to harvest.

DAY 90

I've been really enjoying this lettuce. Nice flavor, crisp leaves, beautiful color. We've been having nice mixed salads regularly. These plants may be nearing the end of their life cycle, however. One symptom of picking leaves from the bottom is that it has encouraged the plants to grow taller and taller. They have long stems now. They're still producing leaves, but slower than before. I'm guessing they'll bolt fairly soon.

DAY 107 (9/3) - END OF RUN

Today I decided my lettuces have reached the end of their growth period. The hot weather has pushed them to go to seed in the last day or two, and though I've picked off the flower buds, the stems have lengthened, the leaves have darkened and become tougher, and the flavor of the leaves is getting bitter. It's been a great run--two solid months of fresh almost daily gourmet salads. I never would have expected the plants to grow here, much less be so productive and healthy. I'm considering sowing again, but not until this hot weather subsides.