Romaine Lettuce is a favorite of mine in salads. I’ve also read it makes an Incredible and Delicious Smoothie.
The best and most amazing thing about lettuce, besides eating it, is that if the stump is intact it will regenerate and regrow new shoots for a second harvest. Above is a photograph of three romaine “stumps” in various levels of regrowth. All I did was put each stump in a half inch of water, check the level daily, and wait for tender new growth.
I am growing the romaine in a basement window well, and that explains the VERY dirty window in the photo as it is below ground level and gets a lot of run-off from the sides of the house and mud spatters from ground. The setting for the lettuce doesn’t look very nice, but it is the perfect environment for regrowing leafy greens…cool and bright all day. Give it a try the next time you have a head of lettuce with the stem still intact. You have nothing to lose and a free harvest of lettuce to gain.
Important Tip: Romaine Lettuce is one type of produce that is easy to find in the organic form. It is often packaged as three heart of romaine and it pays to spend just a dollar or two more and have your salad free from any unnecessary pesticides.
This is really neat. I will have to try this.
By: mithriluna on May 13, 2013
at 10:18 pm
[…] http://threepsandq.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/peculiarities-and-plants-romaine-lettuce/ […]
By: Gardening | The Beauty of Wisdom on May 13, 2013
at 5:56 am
Def going to try this. Can you regrow a new head from the original regrow?
By: Angela Mauriello on May 6, 2013
at 1:50 pm
Usually small side leaves are what you will get. These taste good in salads.
By: timelesslady on May 6, 2013
at 7:09 pm
Can you tell me what you have it in? Soil or water? Thanks.
By: Lori on May 13, 2013
at 4:48 pm
Mine grew in water, but I now others have tried them in soil.
By: timelesslady on May 13, 2013
at 8:57 pm
I do this all the time and it really does work, thanks
By: Mindy Walmesley on May 3, 2013
at 1:18 pm
Thank you Mindy for the comment.
By: timelesslady on May 4, 2013
at 5:53 pm
[...] Content and photo sources: http://chickensintheroad.com/farm-bell-recipes/re-growing-celery and http://threepsandq.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/peculiarities-and-plants-romaine-lettuce [...]
By: Home-grown produce, even in the city | The Friedman Sprout on April 30, 2013
at 6:38 pm
Could you post pictures of the stump needed to re-start the lettuce for the novices like myself
By: Jacque on April 26, 2013
at 12:51 am
Jacque, I will post a step by step some time next week. Thanks for the suggestion. Kathy
By: timelesslady on April 26, 2013
at 7:49 am
My Romaine Lettuce that I started this way is now spiking without actually producing healthy leafs to eat (more stalk), what can I do?
By: Tammy Racine on April 13, 2013
at 11:48 pm
Throw it away, try again…grow in a cooler spot. I found that when temperatures are higher where I am growing the romaine, the stalk seems to form faster. My best luck has been in a basement window. Good luck.
By: timelesslady on April 14, 2013
at 8:19 am
What if you don’t have a basement?
By: Angela Mauriello on May 6, 2013
at 1:51 pm
Any cooler window will do.
By: timelesslady on May 6, 2013
at 7:10 pm
[...] Source: threepsandq.wordpress.com [...]
By: Food – Vegetables That Magically Regrow Themselves | Everything Cool on April 12, 2013
at 4:54 pm
I like this and I’ll try it sure….
By: dalia yousef on April 1, 2013
at 7:22 am
[...] Peculiarities and Plants – Romaine Lettuce | Minding My P’s With Q via Alternative Gardening Techniques [...]
By: Regrow Fresh Heads of Romaine Lettuce from Chopped Down Lettuce Hearts | Tips for the Unready on March 27, 2013
at 5:33 pm
[...] Peculiarities and Plants — Romaine Lettuce [Minding My P's With Q via Alternative Gardening Techniques] [...]
By: Regrow Fresh Heads Of Cos Lettuce From Chopped Lettuce Hearts | Lifehacker Australia on March 27, 2013
at 9:00 am
[...] Peculiarities and Plants – Romaine Lettuce | Minding My P’s With Q via Alternative Gardening Techniques [...]
By: Regrow Fresh Heads of Romaine Lettuce from Chopped Down Lettuce Hearts - IT Clips on March 26, 2013
at 10:28 pm
[...] Peculiarities and Plants – Romaine Lettuce | Minding My P’s With Q via Alternative Gardening Techniques [...]
By: Regrow Fresh Heads of Romaine Lettuce from Chopped Down Lettuce Hearts on March 26, 2013
at 7:15 pm
[...] Growing romaine lettuce from the stumps of old heads ««Minding my P’s with Q’s. [...]
By: Weekend Links - Housewife How To's on March 9, 2013
at 5:27 pm
Thx for this info!!
By: jessica on February 26, 2013
at 12:24 am
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By: Granthana Sunder on February 23, 2013
at 5:04 pm
Thanks so much! That sounds like a happy accident to me. So glad you found the post and the blog. Kathy
By: timelesslady on February 23, 2013
at 6:11 pm
and can you put more then one in a bowl , and how dose it do out side ?
By: millie shreves on January 29, 2013
at 9:28 am
Hi Millie, I have just put the romaine in water. I did however root green onions the same way, and they are still growing on the my windowsill. I found the romaine sent up a seed stalk after it grew for a bit, and when that happened the lettuce turned very bitter. I would suggest planting it in soil if you want to keep it going as long as possible. Thanks for your comment and questions. Kathy
By: timelesslady on February 1, 2013
at 10:36 am
With lettuce in the garden, if you pinch off the seed stalk when it first appears you can keep the lettuce from becoming bitter for quite awhile.
By: Susan on February 8, 2013
at 9:55 pm
Hi Millie, I haven’t tried it outdoors yet…just indoors on a windowsill. Happy Gardening and thanks for commenting. Kathy
By: timelesslady on February 1, 2013
at 10:36 am
Are you putting it in soil or just water, I dont see how it is planted in the bowl
thanks
By: millie shreves on January 29, 2013
at 9:26 am
I have a romaine lettuce regrowing. It’s now in potting soil in a large pot in my apt. It has grown about 6 inches tall but the leaves are pretty light and thin, not thick and bushy. Should I start pinching off the leaves (eating them? =) ) and it will continue to grow? Thanks
By: Kat on January 4, 2013
at 1:56 pm
You can eat them at any time. If a stalk starts growing out the middle of the stump though…I would throw it out. The stalk is a seed stalk and means the lettuce flavor will be bitter.
By: timelesslady on January 4, 2013
at 2:00 pm
I don’t know much about this, so excuse me if this is a dumb question. But you mentioned the “seed stalk” and to just throw away when that grows. Wouldn’t you want to use that seed stalk for more to grow or is it not truly seeds to plant?
By: Gabrielle on April 14, 2013
at 2:00 pm
Hi Gabrielle, When herbs and lettuces send up a seed stalk it often causes the plant’s leaves to become very bitter tasting. A seed stalk on a romaine stump growing indoors would most likely not produce seed, or if it did, since the stalk flowers would not be pollinated by flying insects such as bees, any seed produced would not be viable or grow. Thanks for the question. It was a good one! Kathy
By: timelesslady on April 14, 2013
at 2:59 pm
I put mine in a clear glass in the window changing the water every other day but after about 2 weeks it started to rot. I tossed it and tried again. I decided to change the water daily and the second round has grown faster than the first. I spoke to an old timer in the neighborhood who told me to plant them in soil. FIrst thing to do in 2013! Wish me luck
By: Jessica Bryant on December 31, 2012
at 5:08 pm
[...] The original Romaine post was written and published in December of 2011. Since then it has been viewed hundreds, even thousands of times according to my site stats, and commented upon dozens of times. The original post can be found here: Original Romaine Regrowth Post [...]
By: Peculiarities – Most Popular Post in 2012/Growing Romaine From a Stump « Minding My P's With Q on December 31, 2012
at 1:08 am
I tried it but the stump rotted. What did I do wrong?
By: Josh on December 28, 2012
at 12:32 am
Hi Josh, Make sure you have a minimal amount of water at the bottom of container…only about a 1/2 inch is perfect. It could be your stump was too far gone when you started. Try again! You have nothing to lose other than something you would normally throw away anyway. I just tried some green onions and they did well too. They are about five inches taller than when I started. Kathy
By: timelesslady on December 28, 2012
at 9:15 am
Celery, onions, and now romaine lettuce. I wonder what else! Great tip!
By: Ashli on December 24, 2012
at 6:34 am
I got the little gel pellets at our local dollar tree store and grew them with water. then when I used some leeks, I placed then in the bowl of the grown pellets and soon there after a week or so, the roots started to regrow and it began growing the green stalk. I would recommend buying these water gel pellets to regrow any stalks. just keep adding small amounts of water so that they will not shrink back.
By: Marco on January 26, 2013
at 4:39 am
Great tip Marco! Thanks so much for the comment. Kathy
By: timelesslady on January 26, 2013
at 7:53 am
Carrot heads will also regrow.
By: sarah simmons on February 6, 2013
at 6:04 pm
I have bok choy growing, its has done better than my romaine
By: amyamolenaar on March 5, 2013
at 7:27 pm
For those concerned about transplanting – most plants that do well with this re-rooting method (which is what you’re doing – the plant had roots at one point, the grower or the store cut them off, and it’s still living (if it weren’t the whole thing would either be very slimy or paper-dry), so it’s ready to re-grow roots. If you want to transplant to dirt, start it first in a dish of sand, potting moss, or vermiculite (from a garden-supply store), or a ‘rooting medium’, which is a mix of those ingredients, and keep it very moist. Then when you see leaves start to grow, transplant to your garden or to a pot of dirt. I haven’t tried this with lettuce yet (although I will now that I’ve read this!!), but I have with other plants. Some will grow, some won’t, depending on how recently they were picked.
For those worried about nutrients, the main nutrients in lettuce are formed by the plant from water and sunlight. If you keep growing the lettuce (or any plant) in water and want to be sure it’s getting all the nutrients it needs, or all the ones you’d want to eat, you can either make a fertilizing solution or buy one from a hydroponic gardening store. Google terms like ‘home-made hydroponic fertilizer’ or ‘hydroponic nutrients’. You can also just put safe, mineral-rich things in the growing water. A clean eggshell, for example, will slowly release calcium. A few coffee grounds or a used tea bag will have a lot of nutrients that didn’t make it into the brew – just don’t add too much or you’ll overwhelm your poor baby plant!
By: Alikina on December 8, 2012
at 1:51 pm
I do this with my scallions all the time except that I keep a pot of dirt on my window sill to stick them in. We eat Romaine lettuce all the time so I’ll have to try this! Thanks.
By: Renee Matarese on December 8, 2012
at 10:18 am
I placed mine in water and it has sprouted in less than three days.
By: Della on December 2, 2012
at 6:56 pm
Celery stumps work well too, I have three in pots right now!
By: Angela on December 7, 2012
at 12:01 pm
I plnted mine in a small pot of soil and within a week it was growing new shoots.
By: Betty on November 30, 2012
at 8:52 pm
Thanks for the reminder as I am babysitting a budgie for now, and another tip for budgie owners is to sprout their millet spray ! they love it!
By: Jan Shields on November 7, 2012
at 12:20 am
[...] Regrowing Romaine Lettuce 2011 [...]
By: Peculiarities – Update/Growing Romaine from Stump « Minding My P's With Q on October 6, 2012
at 2:07 am
Reblogged this on The Garden Diaries and commented:
Great way to regrow lettuce! Sustainable gardening at its best.
By: thegardendiaries on September 24, 2012
at 8:52 pm
Great tip! We do the same with the bottom white part of a green onion with the roots still on. Stick it in the ground and the green part shoots up for another crop!
By: Amy on September 16, 2012
at 7:32 pm
Trying the romaine lettuce. I have 3 stumps. Only one really looks good. The other two have sprouted leaves, but very sparse.
After 2 weeks, the stronger one started growing roots so I planted in dirt. I haven’t harvested the lettuce to eat yet. This is fun!
By: Debbie on September 7, 2012
at 7:09 pm
I’m so glad to hear it is working well for you.
By: timelesslady on September 7, 2012
at 7:54 pm
That’s really cool. If you are growing romaine in the garden you can also just harvest the outer leaves when you need salad greens and leave the plant intact in the ground to continue growing.
By: Shannon on August 31, 2012
at 3:13 pm
You can do the same with celery.
By: florence on August 28, 2012
at 9:06 pm
really?!?! This is awesome… and I guess kind of a no brainer when you think about it LOL. I love this, thank you so much for sharing ( I love posts where the little light bulb comes on haha) I always hate having to just toss the excess Romaine so I will be trying this one soon!
By: The Newbie Homesteader on August 26, 2012
at 2:44 pm
Thanks so much for stopping by…come again!
By: timelesslady on August 26, 2012
at 3:51 pm
celery will regrow in same manner-either water or soil
By: lynett on August 25, 2012
at 3:12 pm
[...] Romaine Lettuce [...]
By: 5 Ways to Save Money on Groceries Without Stepping Foot in the Grocery Store on August 6, 2012
at 12:06 pm
This encourages me to try it with butter lettuce. It’s my favorite, but we can’t get any planted til fall. And it’s expensive to buy. However, if I spend $2.99 for a head of it, take off some of the leaves to eat and then plant the rest….hmmmm.
By: Susan on July 10, 2012
at 12:25 pm
Hi Susan, please try the butter lettuce. I have only tried Romaine, and I would love to know if butter lettuce will work…yes, it is expensive…even a few side shoots would be worth the try. Kathy
By: timelesslady on July 10, 2012
at 2:14 pm
this is great,I’m definitely gonna try it! have tried it with onions and it worked! I don’t really like onions, I did it for experiment’s sake,but I do like lettuce so this is gonna be so cool! I also have a strawberry plant for the first time!!
thanks for sharing this!
By: Marina Akira on July 9, 2012
at 5:13 pm
I am growing mine in a raised bed outside. I did nothing to them, just stuck them into the ground so that the root sections was firmly seated and within 2 days I had new leaves coming up. I have found it works with red cabbage, onions and celery also so far. I am going to be trying more “2nd” helpings as I get them.
By: Libby Best-Barker on July 5, 2012
at 5:03 pm
[...] Source: threepsandq.wordpress.com via David on [...]
By: Places on Pinterest on June 18, 2012
at 12:57 am
I have tried the organic romaine lettuce from root as well, although I planted mine straight in the ground and was able to pick from it 4 or 5 times. The base will eventually shoot up and start forming seeding, but I’m very pleased with the life I’ve gotten out of it!
By: Heather on June 9, 2012
at 3:48 pm
Great photos…thanks for posting. Kathy
By: timelesslady on June 9, 2012
at 6:07 pm
did you say you planted the stump in the ground?
By: cynthia on September 21, 2012
at 12:44 pm
Hi Heather, Thanks so much for your photographs. It certainly is worth replanting. Kathy
By: timelesslady on June 14, 2012
at 7:26 am
[...] I do enjoy experimenting with plants though. I’ve read a number of articles about being able to grow veggies from store bought food. I’ve tried my hand at romaine lettuce: [...]
By: Throwing in My Trowel? « P31 Wannabe on May 24, 2012
at 3:24 pm
This is such a clever idea. Thanks for posting this! I’d heard about it with celery, but never with lettuce. I gave it a try, and it worked! My household has been completely entertained watching this little lettuce grow. (Okay, I’ll admit it…apparently we need to get out more.)
By: Davis on May 16, 2012
at 6:09 pm
I’m so glad you enjoyed watching the lettuce re-grow…it is amazing!
By: timelesslady on May 16, 2012
at 7:04 pm
i have my romaine replanted in soil and it is like the whole thing has come back to life! it is nice and green and growing noticeable amounts each day. i just have it in a small pot on the windowsill in very moist well drained soil.
By: Jen K. on April 28, 2012
at 7:42 pm
Jen K., do you have a photo? Interesting, I may try it out in the garden. Thanks.
By: Nicole S. on May 12, 2012
at 5:52 pm
Very interesting. Who knew? Certainly not me.
By: NanGreen on April 5, 2012
at 1:41 pm
Im sure going to try this one and see if i can make it work.
By: Shirley M. (shirleyno5) on April 4, 2012
at 2:46 pm
Micaela, I’m not sure if the stump could be transplanted. I have never tried it, but my instinct is that it would not work. There would be no roots available to take up moisture and nutrients. After the romaine is cut away from the soil, I think the only option is to keep it going for a while hydroponically.
By: timelesslady on March 26, 2012
at 10:19 pm
possibly if you use a “Rooting Hormone”.
By: rojeana helms on June 7, 2012
at 3:22 pm
Possibly, but I don’t think I would personally…not sure what rooting hormone is made out of and I am trying to go organic. The way the stems are cut here in NJ, they are flat and hard, if roots were to grow I think they would sprout above that portion.
By: timelesslady on June 7, 2012
at 4:00 pm
An organic rooting hormone can be made from willow. take some stems/twigs (especially good if there are buds, I understand) and crush them/break them/mash them and place in a mason jar. Fill it with water and leave it for a week or two. The water then carries the willow rooting hormones and work to spur a lot of plants to root.
You might want to google this to get more information, but I have used it to help plant starts.
By: Amber on January 4, 2013
at 6:33 pm
Hi,
I do use a lot of water (2″ in each pot every day) but my romaine stumps are in potting soil and 8″ black pots, bright sunlight. 4 out of 5 stumps have nice new leaves. my neighbor is a “master gardener and she said stick them in soil with lots of water and presto … salad
By: John wilks on August 7, 2012
at 8:35 pm
Can you transplant the stump and grow it in your garden?
By: MIcaela on March 26, 2012
at 9:22 pm
Great job Craig. It worked for you. Grace, I think it will work on just about anything with the stump intact. Kathy
By: timelesslady on March 26, 2012
at 2:09 pm
I am trying this right now. I am trying it with redleaf though. It seems to be doing something as the stump leaves have greened up. I am just waiting on new ones to appear.
By: Grace on March 26, 2012
at 1:27 pm
I had great luck with this…Thanks.
By: cpatruno on March 26, 2012
at 1:13 pm
If you kept the romaine for years perhaps that would be true, but I think as long as it stays green and growing there is nutrition within its leaves. Think of growing sprouts, they have no soil to grow in, yet they are loaded with nutrients. Also, plants grown aquaponically are high in nutrients. Your concern is a good point though, and something to consider in how long you keep the romaine going. Thanks for the comment. Kathy
By: timelesslady on March 21, 2012
at 8:27 am
The only problem I see with this idea is that your food is not going to have much nutriance in it. The soil gives the plant they good nutriance that we eat.
By: Susan Port on March 20, 2012
at 5:33 pm
[...] onions, at least. I also saw another tip that you could do the same with the stumps of celery and Romaine, so I’m going to try those next. If all else fails, maybe I can just use this method to grow my [...]
By: How Does My (Survival) Garden Grow? | | preppergirl.compreppergirl.com on March 19, 2012
at 6:55 pm
I don’t cut any of mine away because mine has already been cut away by the supermarket. This summer I am hoping to grow some of my own in the vegetable garden. I think I will cut ]the root end close to the leaves the same way they are cut in the packages I buy. I hope this helps. Kathy
By: timelesslady on March 19, 2012
at 2:45 pm
If you grow your own lettuce – just cut off near the bottom and new leaves will continue to grow.
By: Marti on August 5, 2012
at 7:05 am
Do you cut any part off from the bottom before placing in water?
Thanks
By: April on March 19, 2012
at 12:41 pm
Hi Kathi, After I cut off the top portion of the romaine lettuce, I am left with a “stumpy” looking end where the roots once were. I put this end in water and within a day or two new green leaves begin to grow in the center of the stump. I do not plant it in the ground again. What I do is harvest the new leaves when they are a few inches tall. These leaves are much smaller than the original leaves, but just as tasty. If the bottom area that is in the water begins to deteriorate or go soft, I then toss it out. As long as new leaves are growing, just keep it in water, and change that water every day or two to keep things fresh and bacteria free.
By: timelesslady on March 14, 2012
at 5:20 am
i am interested also….. like ruth & viki —- not sure what you mean by stem? i have the core-base as bought at the local chain grocery store. does not have roots….and then i just place this flat-bottomed core in a container with 1/2 water & no soil?? never transfer to soil? more info please…thanks
By: kathi on March 13, 2012
at 10:52 pm
[...] Regrow Your Romaine: This pinner says that you can regrow romaine lettuce from the nubs leftover. Hmmmm…. gotta give that a try. [...]
By: Crumbs: 3.12.12 | accordingtocarey.com on March 12, 2012
at 4:06 am
Is it sitting in water or soil?
By: Viki on March 7, 2012
at 7:52 am
I tried to grow romaine lettuce last year. I wasn’t sure exactly how to. It never looked like that. When do you get to eat your produce? and What do you mean “stump”? I am new to growing lettuce. I would love more information about growing lettuce. Thank you.
By: Ruth on February 8, 2012
at 3:04 pm
Thanks for this helpful tip. We keep tortoises and guinea pigs, and get through at least four romaine lettuces a week (its a nutritious staple for both). Will definitely try this out.
By: barbielea on February 5, 2012
at 3:09 am