Lettuce Planting Instructions

Clean a garden plot for growing lettuce that is located in full sun, with well-drained soil. Treat unwanted vegetation with herbicide to kill it, or remove by hoeing or raking it from the site.

Loosen the top 10 inches of soil by using a hoe, shovel or hard rake. Enrich the garden soil with organics by working compost or manure into it. Dig 3 inches of organic substance 6 inches into the soil.

Rake the area to level the garden's soil. Use a stick or other object to mark and designate a planting row. Space multiple lettuce rows approximately 30 inches apart.

Spread 1 lb. of 10-10-10 fertilizer over the planting site and rake into the soil. Apply an additional pound of fertilizer to the row after planting, spreading it evenly down the sides and ends of the row. Spread the product down the row's sides, keeping it 4 inches away from transplants or seeds. Apply the fertilizer to the ends of the row, keeping it 2 inches away from plants or seeds.

Plant the lettuce seed 1/4 to 3/8 inches deep, considering the lettuce variety and seed packet instructions. Plant lettuce transplants at the depth it was growing in the cell pack or container. Space romaine transplants 10 inches apart, leafy types 6 inches apart and heading types 1 foot apart.

Thin lettuce seedlings reaching 3 to 4 inches in height. Thin lettuce seedlings to the same distance as lettuce transplants, considering the variety. Snip the seedlings off to ground level using scissors or pruning shears.

Water the lettuce seed or transplants after planting. Irrigate the soil regularly, keeping it moist and not allowing it to become dry. Grow lettuce in moist soil for the best performance in plants.

Spread 2 to 3 inches of mulch around the lettuce plants, keeping it off the foliage. Layer the mulch evenly, as it reduces weeds and helps hold moisture in the soil.