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I'm thinking about planting lettuce with something strong-smelling, maybe spring onions, to confuse things that eat lettuce. Would this work? My lettuces keep getting eaten.

Its usually the snails that eat the lettuce especially on wet nights. Companion plants do help but I think some epson salts around the bed and some in the bed early will stop them in their tracks! I am talking of 100's of small ones that hide during the day unless ts wet and cloudy! They come out at night and put small holes all through the lettuce. Look under the boards and bricks even 10 feet away for the big ones that make tons of babies quick!! Marigolds are good to plant with lettuce.

Bob is right, depends on what is eating them. If it is snails, they aren't much deterred by strong smelling things. If it is aphids or things like cabbage loopers/ cabbage worms, which also like lettuce, the companion planting should help.

Onions and garlic are great to have scattered around your garden, since they are repellant to many things. Radishes and carrots also make good companion plants for lettuce. For things like the cabbage butterflies that lay the eggs that become the cabbage worms, anything not lettuce/cabbage like that you have planted around your lettuce helps confuse them and help keep them from finding your lettuce.

If it is snails/ slugs (they would leave roundish holes in the middle of leaves) putting down diatomaceous earth around your plants helps against them. (You will never see the slugs unless you go out with a flashlight late at night)

Another thing to consider is are there wild ducks or rabbits in the area, both like lettuce more than anything else also grasshoppers will eat lettuce like there is no tomorrow. All of the above will eat away onions or not. Set up beer traps or go out with a flashlight (torch) at about 10:30 at night. If you find a lot of slugs or snails that is the problem and you can act accordingly.

Have you tried growing your lettuces in windowboxes? That tends to defeat the ginormicous slugs in my gardens, and you've got the added advantage of the lettuce being too high-up a snack for bunnies/mice/voles/other munching critters barring deer.

Trap them all with cardboard sheets. Last night I trapped 20 or so slugs unintentionally constructing beds using them as a layer in my 4th section. I took the slugs to the cardboard pile in another area.

Trap them all with cardboard sheets.

Sage Hermit, I'm intrigued. So, do I just lay down some cardboard? I've heard citrus peel will also catch them. We do have wild rabbits around but they don't really come to my place on account of all the cats, so I'm pretty sure it's slugs/snails or slaters (pill bugs?).

Its the tiny baby slugs that are the problem mid summer on till fall and beer will not attract them but will catch the big mothers that will produce thousands more. Use the salt or epsom salts. Salt kills them right away by disolving them! Even a light salt spray on wet nights will work! Epsom salts are also good for the plants in small amounts and are cheap.! Sand will also help since snails do not like sand or even ashes!

I've put down some pine needles and wood ash around my newly-sown lettuce which I sowed with chives. Hopefully they do a bit better this time.

Its as simple as laying down a piece of wood or cardboard and turning it over a few hours later or as one person pointed out 10 o clock when they are active. It works. They will all be under there chilling. Trust me and try it.