The bright and cheerful Jericho Romaine Lettuce is a breeze to grow and a super healthy addition to your diet. Its affinity for warm, dry environments makes it an especially beneficial lettuce variety for gardeners in hot, arid climates where many weaker lettuces wilt even in the shade.
Let’s get into everything you need to know about this variety of lettuce.
All About Jericho Romaine Lettuce
Jericho Romaine Lettuce was bred in Israel. Since Israel has a hot and arid climate, this lettuce is designed to be heat-resistant and is able to survive droughts.
If you live in a place with a warm and dry climate, then odds are you have had Jericho romaine lettuce
Characteristics
Jericho Romaine Lettuce has large upright leaves that are bright green. The entire lettuce head grows to be a remarkable 24 inches!
This particular variety of romaine lettuce is also known for being heavy. It’s a long-lasting vegetable, taking longer to rot compared to other varieties of lettuce.
What Does Jericho Romaine Lettuce Taste Like?
Jericho Romaine Lettuce is one of the tastiest kinds of lettuce out there, and it’s amongst the best in the romaine lettuce category.
It has a crisp texture throughout the whole leaf, which makes it a great salad base, among other uses. It’s also known for having a sweet flavor that is stronger than other kinds of romaine lettuce.
Health Benefits
Lettuce has so many health benefits it’s hard to keep track of them all! Not to worry, though. We’re here to help you understand all the benefits of eating lettuce.
Minerals
Lettuce is known for being high in essential minerals. It has a very large amount of calcium, which is great for bone health.
Phosphorus, which aids muscle and tissue repair, is also found in abundance in lettuce. Magnesium is also found in lettuce and is good for energy production and muscle/nerve function.
Lettuce is a reliable source of potassium. Potassium is useful in maintaining a good heart rate and aids digestive health.
Lastly, lettuce is known for being low in sodium. Sodium can dehydrate you in excess, among other negative effects, so it’s a good thing that you don’t have to worry about that when eating a nice head of lettuce.
Vitamins
Along with containing a plethora of minerals, lettuce also has plenty of vitamins.
Lettuce is known as an excellent source of vitamin K. Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting and is found most often in green vegetables like lettuce and kale.
Lettuce is also a great source of vitamins A, B, and C. These are great for eye health, cell energy and growth, and immune health respectively.
The A vitamin comes through beta carotene, which is easily absorbed by the body and the B vitamin comes through folate, which is specifically vitamin B9.
Eating Jericho Romaine Lettuce
Romaine lettuce is a great addition to any burger! Lettuce acts as a barrier between the bread and the meat, which is a great way to prevent a soggy bun.
Lettuce is the key to any good salad, and this romaine salad is no different and is sure to become a regular part of your diet.
Want a delicious recipe unlike anything you’ve ever made using lettuce before? Try this braised romaine lettuce with mustard and bacon.
How to Grow Jericho Romaine Lettuce
Now that you have the rundown on all things Jericho Romaine Lettuce, it’s time to learn the basics of how to grow them.
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Planting
It’s best to plant the lettuce when spring begins. This is because Jericho Romaine Lettuce really needs all the sunlight it can get.
Directly sow the seeds a quarter of an inch deep. Sow them 2 inches apart, with each row being 6-8 inches apart.
Since this lettuce is used in hot and dry climates, you must pay attention to how you water this plant. Keep the lettuce plants moist, and be careful how you tend to them, as they are quite delicate while growing.
When the seedlings sprout, make sure to thin out the extra seedlings that are not as strong. This is essential to the survival of your plants because as they grow, they’ll require more nutrition, and they can’t be fighting amongst each other for it.
Once you’ve thinned out the seedlings, leave the remaining plants 12 inches apart from one another to give them room to grow.
The plant takes 1 to 2 weeks to germinate, and they take 60-75 days to reach full maturity.
Harvesting
Harvesting your Jericho Romaine Lettuce is a simple task. Cut off the mature heads when they feel firm and filled out with leaves.
You can compost or throw away the lettuce heads you don’t like and the ones that have over-matured as well.
Diseases and Pests
Diseases and pests are always a hassle to deal with. Here is what you need to look out for while you grow your lettuce.
Diseases
Jericho Romaine Lettuce is thankfully very resistant to downy mildew, powdery mildew, and tip burn. It is particularly almost immune to tip burn due to its adaptation to warm weather.
Jericho Romaine is susceptible to lettuce mosaic virus, bottom rot, drop, and damping-off.
Releasing ladybugs into your gardens can help prevent the spread of the lettuce mosaic virus because they eat what are known as aphids, which spread the lettuce mosaic virus.
Pests
Birds and rodents are the primary pests to look out for. They can be prevented through nets above the planting site and mouse traps respectively. Owning cats is also a great way of getting rid of rodents.
Bugs are perhaps the bain of every gardener’s existence. Using pesticides that are safe for your plants should do the trick to get rid of them.
Cutworms are also a big problem when it comes to growing lettuce. These are quite annoying to deal with, as the only way to handle them is to go out and pick them off one by one with gloves and a flashlight at night.
When you have all the cutworms in your possession, you must dunk them in soapy water. Do this for a few nights, and the problem should be dealt with.
Where to Buy Jericho Romaine Lettuce Seeds
We recommend you buy your Jericho Romaine Lettuce seeds conveniently online at Hoss Tools.
Jericho Romaine Lettuce Is a Great Lettuce Variety for Your Garden
Jericho Romaine Lettuce is a delicious and crispy treat that is also easy to grow. Its affinity for warm weather gives the plant resistance to many diseases and issues found in other lettuce varieties.
If you want to learn more about this lettuce, along with other varieties, go to our lettuce plant page to find everything you need.