How to Mulch Lettuce

Lettuce plants produce best in the cooler spring season, as warm temperatures cause the plants to go to seed and stop producing. Mulching the lettuce bed with an organic mulching material insulates the soil from warm temperatures so the roots of the plants stay cool longer. The mulch also prevents weeds from overtaking the garden bed or competing with your lettuce plants. Lettuce prefers soil that remains evenly moist. A properly mulched bed retains moisture better, since less water is lost to evaporation.

Instructions

- 1
  Plant the lettuce seeds or seedlings in the garden, following the spacing recommendations on the plant label or seed packet for the specific lettuce variety. Generally, space leaf lettuce 4 inches apart, butterhead 6 inches apart and head lettuce 12 inches apart.
- 2
  Weed between the plants until the lettuce is approximately 6 inches tall. Pull weeds from between the seedlings by hand. Break up the top inch of soil between the rows with a hoe so that weeds can't root.
- 3
  Spread a 2-inch layer of organic mulch, such as straw, over the entire lettuce bed once the seedlings are approximately 6 inches tall. Laying the mulch earlier can suppress and prevent the lettuce plants from growing.
- 4
  Pull the mulch back from the base of each lettuce plant so there is a 1-inch space between the plant and mulch layer. Covering the base of the plant in mulch can cause rot problems.

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