vegetable · leafy green

Lettuce — Baby Cos

A small upright heart, ready sooner. Baby Cos is picked young at four to six weeks, so it takes less room and less waiting than a full-sized Cos.

Lettuce — Baby Cos seedling
Seedling
Mature Lettuce — Baby Cos
Ready to pick
Thrives
12–18°C
Water
High
Difficulty
Beginner
Ready in
30–40  days
Spacing
20cm apart
Containers
Yes

How to plant it

  • Plant 20cm apart. It stays narrow and upright, so you can fit more of them in than a heading lettuce.
  • Water at the base rather than over the top. Water sitting down inside the heart is where rot starts.
  • Cut the whole head at four to six weeks, while it is still small and tight. That is the point of this one.
  • Do not leave it in hoping for a bigger lettuce. It goes coarse and bitter rather than large.
  • Plant a few a fortnight apart. These are single-serve heads, so a staggered run beats a glut.