How to Re-Grow Lettuce

Instead of throwing away the end of a head of romaine lettuce, take the stem or bulb and place it in water. You'll be surprised at what happens next! Let me show you how to re-grow lettuce from a discarded stem.

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Can you re-grow lettuce

The answer to this question is yes! This is another easy gardening project to try. I recently shared my post on How to Re-Grow Celery and I'm happy to report my celery is thriving after about a month of growing first in water and then being planted in dirt.

All you need is a head of romaine lettuce, a jar of water and you will be able to re-grow lettuce in your home!

Now, you'll only be able to make one or maybe two bowls of salad using lettuce grown this way. However, this is still a fun project to do, especially for the kids.

Instead of discarding the stem of a head of lettuce, why not try to re-grow it? Plus you'll definitely get enough lettuce to use for sandwiches!

WHAT YOU NEED

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Bulb or bottom stalk of romaine lettuce
Mason jar or glass jar filled with water
Bamboo skewers – if the stalk of celery is too small for your glass container.
Sharp knife

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Steps for Re-Growing Lettuce

First you need to cut the bulb at least one inch from the bottom. Which is what is normally left after you enjoyed the lettuce for meals.

Next, place the base of the lettuce into a mason jar or glass jar filled with water. If you find that the base of the lettuce is too small for the jar, you can insert bamboo skewers into the sides to use as support.

Now, you'll need to place the jar in an area that gets plenty of light. For me, that was one of our spare bedrooms.

In a few days, you should start to see new little shoots of lettuce sprouting.

Few days growth of romaine lettuce in jar of water

Change the water every few days to keep it fresh. If you don't, the outside of the lettuce could get soggy. I didn't find that happening at all with my experiment even though I forgot to change the water a few days.

Harvest and trim new lettuce growth within two weeks or the lettuce growing will turn bitter as it goes to seed. This happens even if you're growing lettuce from seeds in a vegetable garden.

What type of Lettuce to use

In my research, I've discovered that you can use this method of re-growing lettuce with red leaf, bibb and even Boston leaf. However, if you find the lettuce isn't re-growing, just try a different type of lettuce.

I've only tried romaine since that is what we enjoy for salads and sandwiches. However, if you try a different species, let me know the results!