Methods and apparatus relating to interference mitigation in a wireless communications system including multi-sector base stations and relay stations are described. Different types of transmission slots are used, e.g., base station-relay station slots, relay station-access terminal slots, and base station-access terminal slots. Relay station to access terminal slots of a first schedule are non-overlapping with relay station to access terminal slots of a second schedule. A deployment pattern associates each particular base station sector and its associated relay station with one particular schedule. At least some different sectors of the same base station intentionally use different schedules. An access terminal determines and uses the schedule corresponding to the base station sector or relay station from which it intends to receive downlink signals. By utilizing multiple slot type allocation schedules and a particular schedule deployment pattern in the system, interference experienced by access terminals in boundary regions can be mitigated.