How to Landscape With Lettuce

Start seeds indoors six to eight weeks before your final spring frost. Fill one or more flats with standard potting soil and then moisten with a mist of water. Scatter seeds on the surface and cover them with about ¼ inch of potting soil, following packet instructions. Keep your flat in a sunny spot and water it every other day when the soil surface becomes dry.

Prepare planting beds along the front edges of flowerbeds or around the base of trees while your seeds are germinating. Choose an area where the soil drains rapidly and also where your lettuce will receive full sun in the morning or filtered sun all day. Dig one part compost into every four parts soil.

Transplant lettuce seedlings when they are 2 to 3 inches tall, using your trowel to dig small holes that will accommodate their root systems. You needn't plant seedlings in tidy rows; if you plant different plant types several inches apart in groupings in several areas of your yard, the colorful, unusual varieties of lettuce you have chosen will add interest wherever you plant them.

Spread a 2-inch layer of organic mulch or compost on the soil surface around your lettuce plants. It will help to prevent weeds and will give your plants nutrients every time you water them.

Harvest the outer leaves of lettuce when they are 4 to 6 inches long. This habit will keep your plants looking tidy, will encourage them to produce more leaves and will provide you with lettuce for salads and sandwiches.