If you're short on garden space, you'll be glad to know that lettuce doesn't have to grow in neat, straight rows. To make the most of limited garden space, use the lettuce seedlings you've started indoors for filling vacancies in the garden from spring through fall. Here's how:

  • When turnips and radishes have finished in late spring, transplant some heat-tolerant lettuce varieties into that same space.
     
  • When lima beans are finished in late August, yank out the plants and fill the spot with lettuce seedlings for fall and winter production.
     
  • Use lettuce as a "living mulch" around taller plants like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peppers, staked tomatoes, eggplants, and pole beans. Simply "tuck" lettuce plants into any available space around your other vegetables. The lettuce helps its neighbor by shading the soil, retaining soil moisture, and keeping weeds at bay. (Any plant, including lettuce, that's planted too close to other plants competes for water and nutrients-so don't overplant.)