Lettuce 'Little Gem' (Lactuca sativa) – Compact Cos Salad Crop (12 Plants in 2 x 6-Cell Trays)

Little Gem lettuce is a compact, upright cos with sweet, crunchy leaves and dense heads that are just the right size for one serving. It is one of the most popular and trusted lettuces in the UK, and it holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Little Gem is fast to mature, easy to grow and rewarding to harvest, so it suits first-time growers as much as experienced ones. The tight, bright green heads are ready to cut roughly 60 to 70 days after planting, and a few plants every few weeks will keep the salad bowl full from summer into autumn.

You receive 12 young Little Gem lettuce plants, growing one to a cell in 2 plastic 6-cell trays. Plant them out after the last frosts, about 15 to 20cm apart, in a sunny spot or light shade. They grow well in raised beds, vegetable patches, grow bags and containers, so a balcony or patio will do as well as an allotment.

Lettuce is a tender crop and bolts to seed in hot, dry weather, which turns the leaves bitter. Keep the soil evenly moist, give a little shade in high summer and water well in dry spells. Feed with a balanced vegetable fertiliser and watch for slugs and snails on young plants. Harvest when the heads feel firm, cutting at the base.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Little Gem Lettuce, Sugar Cos
• Botanical Name: Lactuca sativa
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: Approx. 20-25cm tall and 15-20cm wide (variety dependent)
• Growth Habit: Compact, upright cos-type head
• Perfect For: Raised beds, vegetable patches, containers, grow bags, kitchen gardens
• Foliage: Bright green, crisp, tightly packed leaves with a sweet, mild flavour
• Planting Position: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil Type: Moist, fertile, well-drained soil
• Hardiness: Not hardy, plant out after the last frosts
• Maintenance: Water regularly and keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged
• Seasonal Interest: Harvest from summer to autumn
• Type: Annual vegetable