E.coli scare from Canadian Romaine lettuce. Solution: Grow Your Own

It would appear that somebody did something bad up north.

It's hard for the average citizen to know exactly where the problem originated (company, trucking company, etc), both the United States Center for Disease Control and Canadian Government have released statements about the recent outbreak of E.coli bacteria found on Romaine lettuce.

Quoting the Canadian article directly:

How does lettuce become contaminated with E. coli?

E. coli are bacteria that live naturally in the intestines of cattle, poultry and other animals. A common source of E. coli illness is raw fruits and vegetables that have come in contact with feces from infected animals. Leafy greens, such as lettuce, can become contaminated in the field by soil, contaminated water, animals or improperly composted manure. Lettuce can also be contaminated by bacteria during and after harvest from handling, storing and transporting the produce. Contamination in lettuce is also possible at the grocery store, in the refrigerator, or from counters and cutting boards through cross-contamination with harmful bacteria from raw meat, poultry or seafood. Most E. coli strains are harmless to humans, but some varieties cause illness.

There's a great way to avoid this sickness, though.  Grow your own.


Growing Lettuce

Depending on the variety of lettuce you want, it can be between 45 and 80 days before you harvest.  Looseleaf lettuce can be harvested at a number of points along its development which is why that's the variety I prefer.  Romaine is more in the 75+ day range.

How to Grow Lettuce

1. In a 1 gallon pot, put two layers of pebbles in the bottom.  This helps to prevent your potting mix from leaking out the bottom.
2. Add in enough potting mix (organic) to fill the pot 1"-1.5" from the top.
3. Carefully set your seeds in a circle 1" from the outer rim with about 2" from each other.  Try to put two seeds in each location.    Once the circle has been completed, put another pair of seeds in the middle of the pot.
4. Gently dust a tiny bit of potting mix over top of the seeds.  You only want to barely cover them with no more than 1/4" of mix  to help keep the seeds moist when you water.
5. Gently water the mix. 
6. You may consider covering the pot with plastic wrap.  This helps to create a greenhouse effect within the pot.  Remove the plastic wrap later on if it appears there isn't enough moisture inside, add more water, then put wrap back on top.  Once the seeds have sprouted and are 1/2" tall, remove the plastic wrap for the final time.  You want to do this to prevent mold from starting.
7. As soon as your seeds and mix are uncovered, water once a week if the air is relatively humid or more frequently if the air is dry.  
8. Once your seed sprouts are taller (1/2" - 1"), thin out any duplicate seeds that may have sprouted in each pair you planted.  You only want a single plant in each planting location. 
9. Depending on the variety of lettuce you planted, that will determine when you harvest it.
10. Congrats!  You now have grown your own lettuce that is free of E.coli and is fresher than any you could obtain from any grocery store, market or farm stand.