I Haven't grown Jerico, but grew Little Gem last spring. At first whiff of warm weather, it bolted. I didn't mind too much, since it didn't have much flavor. (Had hoped for an assertive Romaine flavor.) It did deliver on looks: light green, very small-sized Romaine.

April 14, 07: Planted seedlings (my own) into raised garden bed.
By June 2, Little Gem had formed heads, ready for the salad bowl.

Someone on GW had recommended Little Gem, so I tried it, but was disappointed. Don't care too much for growing anything that lacks flavor, no matter how pretty......

ppod-Have you found a Romaine lettuce that has performed well and tasted good also? Any suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks,
Kim

Jericho's great...it's a big, meaty romaine that resists frost damage and holds well in the spring Tennessee heat. I start twenty heads a year in the greenhouse and transplant them about April first, and by the end of the month I'm at least harvesting side leaves and often small heads.

Ed

Kim
Romaine is my favorite lettuce, but Little Gem was the first one I grew. I haven't grown lettuce much, because they get so infested with slugs. Also, they require a lot of water for rinsing.

I came across a Canadian site with taste testing results. When I find it, I'll post it.

ppod- If you're able to find that site that would be great.

gratefuled-Jericho seems to be getting some good reviews so far. Thanks for your input.

Since I've never grown lettuce before, and I prefer Romaine, it's tough picking a cultivar. I have nothing to compare it to. If anyone else has information about Little Gem, Jericho, or another that they enjoy please let me know.

Thanks.
Kim

You're welcome.

I plant two romaines: Jericho and Plato II. Plato II, in my experience, is a little shorter and stockier than Jericho and doesn't hold out as long, but it has a good sweet crisp flavor. I guess I put it in to hedge my bets.

Be advised: I haven't tried direct-sowing either variety, so if you're not starting them indoors you might want to seek additional info on how they do in that regard.

Ed

I just ordered Jericho for next season. Ed-I'm definitely going to start them inside. For a later sowing I will probably start some inside and some outside at the same time to see the difference. I think I'm going to be very happy with Jericho.

How tall and wide does Jericho get?

I harvest the whole Jericho heads when they get to be ten or twelve inches tall, which might be a little immature. As to what their circumference is at that time...I'm guessing twelve to fourteen inches. I typically space them a foot apart.

They can run up two feet or more when they bolt...but of course I hate to wait that long...

Ed

Judging from the Canadian test rating (they gave Little Gem 9 out of 10), others have had better luck with LG. What yielded a tasteless lettuce in my garden apparently produced a fine one at theirs. However, I wouldn't put too much stock in these test results. The test site's climate and so many other growing factors may vary, perhaps considerably, from conditions at yours and my growing sites. Likewise the results......

Here is a link that might be useful: Canadian test results

ppod- That's a great website. Thanks for posting it.

I have not grown Jericho ( I don't know if it's available over here) but I do grow Little Gem every year. It does very well in my climate. That is cool summers with plenty of rain. It stands well before it bolts and as its name implies it is a small lettuce. One Little gem is just right for 2 people with no left overs. It is a good choice for single person households. Personally I like both the taste and the crisp texture. It has quite a big heart with not much in the way of outer leaves to discard.

I grew both this year. The Little Gem did bolt sooner than the Jericho. Between the two, I definitely preferred the Jericho- it really was a nice, crunchy romaine with a nice flavor to it. I would pick one head and it would be plenty for my family of four with a tossed salad. The Little Gem was just so small comparatively that I never thought to pick it- most of it went in the compost.

Another one that I really liked this year was a red romaine- Cimarron. Fantastic bolt resistance on this one! It wasn't as crisp off the stalk as the Jericho, but it was equally tasty. My one plant got about 4 feet tall, kept putting on more leaves, but didn't bolt until the very end, and even then the leaves weren't overly bitter.

I'll be growing the Jericho and the Cimarron next year.

"One Little gem is just right for 2 people"

That was not my experience. On the contrary. Even my largest Little Gems were small, and when the outher leaves had been removed, it took two Little Gem lettuces to make one small side salad. That is, salad for two would need four lettuces.

Well maybe it's a function of our different climates or appetites - or possibly the Little Gems over here are slightly different. My Little Gems are generally about 6 - 8 inches tall and 8 - 12 inches diameter with little in the way of outer waste. I have grown larger lettuces but waste a lot as we can't manage to eat them all in one go and I prefer lettuce freshly cut. Usually I make mixed leaf salads anyway so a smaller lettuce is not a problem because there will be other stuff in with it. I also grow a mixed selection which includes various red and green lettuces some frilly, some oak leaf, some cos, some butterhead, but I don't know the names of the individual cultivars. I grow these for variety but Little Gem is still my favourite taste-wise. It's all a matter of personal preference.

Here is a link that might be useful: Commercial crop of Little gems

Flora-
That's an interesting link. In those pictures, Little Gem doesn't look little at all.