Lettuce Little Gem (Cos)

Lactuca sativa 'Little Gem' Heritage compact cos / romaine lettuce, RHS AGM

The lettuce that has earned a place in every British kitchen garden and almost every British supermarket basket. Little Gem is a compact cos (romaine) lettuce producing small upright hearts the size of a tennis ball or slightly larger, with crunchy pale-green outer leaves and exceptionally tender yellow-green hearts. RHS Award of Garden Merit. The variety has been a British favourite for generations because it manages to combine almost every desirable lettuce quality — compact size suiting small gardens and modest dinners, fast maturity, sweet flavour, crisp texture, and a notable tolerance of summer heat that defeats less robust types.

The flavour is what really sets Little Gem apart. Unlike floppy butterhead lettuces that tend toward blandness, or hard iceberg types that have plenty of crunch but limited taste, Little Gem balances both: genuine sweet lettuce flavour combined with serious crunch in the heart and tender melt-in-the-mouth quality in the inner leaves. Children eat it without complaint — an underrated qualification in a vegetable. The compact size also means a single Little Gem heart serves one or two people, encouraging picking-as-needed rather than the usual British problem of half-a-lettuce going slimy in the fridge.

Little Gem matures in just 8–10 weeks from sowing and is one of the most heat-tolerant lettuces commonly available — reasonably resistant to summer bolting that turns other varieties bitter and forces them to seed. Combined with its quick maturity, this makes Little Gem the practical choice for British summer salads from late spring through to autumn.

Little Gem is open-pollinated heritage. Seed saved from your best plants will grow true the following year.

A note on growing

Sow indoors from February to April in modules for the earliest crops, or direct outdoors from April through to August for continuous summer cropping. Sow seed at 1cm depth, very thinly — lettuce seed is small and easily oversown. Germination takes 7–14 days; cooler conditions (10–18°C) produce the best germination. Hot soil above 25°C dramatically reduces germination, so July and August sowings benefit from shaded positions or evening watering to cool the soil.

Thin or transplant seedlings to 15–20cm apart in rows 25cm apart — closer than larger lettuce types because Little Gem hearts are small. The thinnings make excellent baby-leaf salad.

Water consistently — drought-stressed lettuces become bitter and prone to bolting. Mulch around the plants to retain moisture. Slugs are the main pest; check plants regularly, particularly in damp weather, and remove damaged outer leaves.

Sow short rows every two to three weeks from April to August for unbroken supply. The single most important Little Gem habit is succession sowing — one large sowing produces all the hearts simultaneously and most will bolt before being eaten, whereas four or five small sowings spread across the season gives continuous fresh lettuce.

Harvest from June onwards by cutting the entire heart cleanly at soil level. Little Gem does not produce a useful second flush from the stump, so harvest is one-shot per plant.

Where it shines

In the kitchen, Little Gem is the classic British salad lettuce. Serve quartered, dressed simply with vinaigrette. Use as the base for Caesar salad — the variety holds up to dressing without going soggy. Halve and char briefly on the griddle (Little Gem is one of the few lettuces that takes brief grilling well) for warm wedge salads. Use whole leaves as edible scoops for dips and finger food. Add to summer sandwiches and burgers where the crunch matters. The pale yellow heart works beautifully as a single-leaf garnish on summer plates.

In the garden, Little Gem is the practical first lettuce for new vegetable gardeners and the dependable continuous summer crop for experienced ones. The compact size suits raised beds, container growing, and squeezed spaces between larger plants. Pair with Lollo Rossa for visual variety in mixed salad sowings, and Tom Thumb for an even smaller butterhead alternative.

Plant alongside

Lettuce is the universal companion plant of the vegetable garden — quick to mature and small enough to intercrop almost anywhere. Plant alongside slow-growing brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, kale) which provide light afternoon shade in summer heat; between rows of carrots, beetroot, and onions. Calendula 'Neon' attracts beneficial predators that control aphids. Avoid planting near broccoli or cabbage that has already flowered, which can attract pests.