About Red Romaine Lettuce

Red Romaine Lettuce is a beautiful and delicious variety, perfect for both the salad bowl and the ornamental garden. The tall heads feature deep burgundy-red outer leaves that transition to green in the heart, offering stunning visual contrast. Its sweet, mild flavour and firm, crunchy texture make it an ideal lettuce for fresh eating. Excellent for successive sowing throughout the season, this variety is heat tolerant and slow to bolt, extending your harvest window.

Where Can You Grow Red Romaine Lettuce?

Best suited to Zones 3–9, this lettuce thrives in full sun to partial shade. It prefers rich, moist, well-drained soil and benefits from regular watering. Suitable for raised beds, garden rows, and container growing.

History and Historical Uses

Romaine lettuce has been cultivated for thousands of years and was a staple in ancient Mediterranean diets. This red variety has been bred for both its flavour and ornamental appeal, offering gardeners the chance to grow something both beautiful and practical. Traditionally eaten fresh in salads, romaine is also used grilled or sautéed in Mediterranean cooking.

Canadian Zone Information
Zones 8-9: Direct sow in early spring and again in late summer for fall harvests.
Zones 5-7: Sow outdoors once soil is workable in spring; plant in partial shade during hotter months.
Zones 3-4: Start indoors 4–6 weeks before last frost; transplant out after hard frosts have passed.

How to Grow and Harvest Red Romaine Lettuce

Planting: Sow seeds 6mm (¼in) deep, spacing 20–25cm (8–10in) apart.
Watering: Keep soil consistently moist, especially in hot weather.
Harvesting: Harvest outer leaves as needed or cut the full head at the base.
Maintenance: Use mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.

Seed Saving Tips for Future Supply

Select Best Plants: Choose healthy, vigorous plants that resist bolting.
Allow to Bolt: Let the chosen plants flower and set seed.
Collect Seeds: Harvest seed heads when dry and mature.
Clean and Store: Separate seeds, dry fully, and store in a cool, dark place.

Certified Organic By
Islands Organics Producers Association (Cert#1962)