Lettuce Little Gem Seed

Lettuce Little Gem Seeds produce compact Lactuca sativa plants with crisp sweet hearts. This packet-labelled Little Gem cos/romaine line suits small gardens and containers while keeping fresh leaves close at hand.

Grow it successfully: Read the Little Gem section of the South African Lettuce Grow Guide.

Quick Grow Facts

• Plant Type: Cool-season leafy vegetable annual
• Scientific Name: Lactuca sativa
• Exact Type: Packet-labelled Little Gem compact cos/romaine retail line; no breeder series asserted
• Seed Form: Raw seed
• Pretreatment: None; sow as supplied and do not soak, scarify or chill
• General Sowing Time: Use a cool-season window; the packet says spring to autumn, but avoid peak heat and hot seedbeds
• Position: Full sun in cool weather; light afternoon shade as temperatures rise
• Sow Depth: 3 mm
• Germination Light: Light-favoured; use only a fine 3 mm cover and do not use blackout conditions
• Germination Temperature: 15–20°C family range; the current label does not print a temperature
• Germination: 7–14 days
• Spacing: 30 × 30 cm for full compact hearts
• Transplanting: Move rooted plugs at several true leaves, commonly about 4–5 weeks; harden gradually and keep the crown at soil level
• Days to Harvest: 60–90 days
• Growth Type: Compact upright cos/romaine with a crisp heart
• Seed Quantity: 2 g raw seed: approximately 1 800 seeds; 20 g raw seed: approximately 18 000 seeds

Why Grow This Variety

• Dwarf, compact plants fit smaller growing spaces.
• Medium-sized hearts provide a crisp texture and sweet flavour.
• Containers, raised beds and small vegetable gardens suit the compact growth type.
• Small succession sowings can extend cool-season harvests.

Garden Uses

Use Little Gem hearts in fresh salads or sandwiches, and grow the compact plants in beds or containers with room around each crown.

Growing Notes

• Sow thinly in a fine seedbed or one to two seeds per module at exactly 3 mm.
• Keep near 15–20°C and evenly moist but never saturated for the full 7–14-day window.
• Transplant without burying the crown and give each plant the packet's 30 × 30 cm spacing.
• Harvest the firm heart whole, or take only a limited number of outer leaves while the centre develops.

Brought to you by Ubuntuberg Seeds, where our mission is to cultivate humanity & harvest unity. Ubuntuberg Seeds: the highest quality seed stock in all of Southern Africa, sourced from sustainable farms, guaranteeing you the best quality seed stock.