We will be starting a series on Grow bag gardening from seed to harvest that will run every Tuesday.

To start the series we will be focusing on Romaine lettuce.

Why should you use a grow bag to grow your lettuce.  Grow bags are very versatile and easy to move around to make sure you get the ideal growing area for your lettuce. Grow bags are also durable and reusable. 

Romaine requires 3-4 weeks to mature from seed.  Plenty of water and good soil will speed growing and the faster Romaine grows, the crisper the leaves. Romaine just needs enough sunlight and good soil to grow in all types of gardens. Plant in early spring and late summer.

How do you grow your lettuce in grow bags:

• Put your soil in your grow bag.  Make sure you prewet your soil.  This guarantees your soil is wet all the way through.  Lettuce likes a loosely structured, well-draining, compost rich soil.

• Make sure there is 4 inches between your lettuce seeds and try for a depth of 1/3 inch.

• Once you have your seeds in the hole, cover with soil.  The seeds will germinate in a few days and you can thin your baby lettuce seedlings if they all germinate and are too close together.

• Do not let your lettuce dry out.  Keep your soil moist and place the grow bag in a location with good light but not too hot. Lettuce does not like temperatures above 68 degrees Fahrenheit. You want to put the lettuce in a spot that receives only a few hours of the morning sun and make sure it is in a cool spot when the temperature rises because lettuce is heat sensitive.

• Grow bags do not hold water in as much as plastic containers so water frequently but do not overwater. Lettuce does not like to sit in water and overwatering can kill the plant due to root rot.

• When the lettuce leaves have reached a height of 4-6” you can harvest.  You can either pick the outer leaves individually or cut the leaves off 1” from above the base or crown.  This way the plant will grow back and you will be able to harvest it again. Do not cut below the crown or the plant will die.