Enter your bed size and pick a plant. The calculator shows how many plants fit and draws the layout. It compares a square grid with offset rows.
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How to use the plant spacing calculator
- Enter the length and width of your bed
- Pick a plant to fill in its spacing
- Change the spacing to match your seed packet
- Switch between a square grid and offset rows.
The calculator leaves half a space between the outer plants and the edge of the bed. That gives every plant the same room to grow.
Square grid or offset rows
A square grid lines plants up in rows and columns. It is easy to plant and easy to weed.
Offset rows shift every other row by half a space, so the plants form triangles. Each plant keeps the same distance from its neighbors, but the rows sit closer together. In large beds, offset rows fit up to 15% more plants. In small beds, a square grid can fit more.
Plant spacing chart
These are common spacings for raised beds and close planting. A row garden needs wider paths between rows. Check your seed packet for the variety you grow. Click a plant to compare varieties on Select-A-Plant.
| Plant | Inches apart | Centimeters apart | Plants per square foot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | 24 in | 60 cm | 1 per 4 sq ft |
| Pepper | 18 in | 45 cm | 1 per 2.25 sq ft |
| Eggplant | 24 in | 60 cm | 1 per 4 sq ft |
| Broccoli | 18 in | 45 cm | 1 per 2.25 sq ft |
| Cabbage | 18 in | 45 cm | 1 per 2.25 sq ft |
| Kale | 18 in | 45 cm | 1 per 2.25 sq ft |
| Lettuce (heads) | 10 in | 25 cm | 1 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | 6 in | 15 cm | 4 |
| Spinach | 6 in | 15 cm | 4 |
| Carrot | 3 in | 8 cm | 16 |
| Radish | 3 in | 8 cm | 16 |
| Beet | 4 in | 10 cm | 9 |
| Onion | 4 in | 10 cm | 9 |
| Garlic | 6 in | 15 cm | 4 |
| Bush bean | 6 in | 15 cm | 4 |
| Pea | 3 in | 8 cm | 16 |
| Cucumber (trellised) | 12 in | 30 cm | 1 |
| Zucchini | 36 in | 90 cm | 1 per 9 sq ft |
| Pumpkin | 48 in | 120 cm | 1 per 16 sq ft |
| Sweet corn | 12 in | 30 cm | 1 |
| Potato | 12 in | 30 cm | 1 |
| Basil | 12 in | 30 cm | 1 |
| Parsley | 8 in | 20 cm | 1 |
| Cilantro | 6 in | 15 cm | 4 |
| Marigold | 10 in | 25 cm | 1 |
| Zinnia | 12 in | 30 cm | 1 |
| Sunflower | 18 in | 45 cm | 1 per 2.25 sq ft |
| Dahlia | 18 in | 45 cm | 1 per 2.25 sq ft |
Tips for spacing plants
Close spacing gives you more plants but smaller harvests from each one. Crowded plants also get less air, which can lead to mildew.
Give plants that sprawl, like squash and pumpkins, plenty of room. Grow cucumbers and pole beans up a trellis to save space.
Thin seedlings sown in the garden to the spacing on the packet. Snip extras at the soil line with scissors. Pulling them can disturb the roots of the plants you keep.
Planning a whole garden? My free garden planner walks you through it. To fill a new bed, use my raised bed soil calculator.
Where I buy seeds, beds, and soil
Seeds
- Botanical Interests: My favorite seed company. Each packet has growing notes printed inside.
- High Mowing Organic Seeds: Every seed High Mowing sells is certified organic.
- True Leaf Market: A big catalog of vegetable, herb, and flower seeds.
Raised beds
- Epic Gardening metal raised beds: Epic Gardening sells the metal raised beds I recommend. My code HOMEFORTHEHARVEST5 takes 5% off.
Soil
- Raised bed soil on Amazon: Bagged soil comes premixed and ready to pour into a bed.
Questions about plant spacing
How many tomato plants fit in a 4 by 8 raised bed?
At 24 inches apart, 8 tomato plants fit in a 4 by 8 foot bed in a square grid.
How many carrots fit in a square foot?
At 3 inches apart, 16 carrots fit in one square foot.
What is the spacing for square foot gardening?
Square foot gardening puts 1, 4, 9, or 16 plants in each square foot. Large plants like peppers and trellised tomatoes take a whole square. Lettuce fits 4. Beets fit 9. Carrots and radishes fit 16. This packs plants closer than the chart above.
More garden calculators
- Raised bed soil calculator shows how much soil to fill a bed
- Seed starting date calculator shows when to start seeds from your frost date
- Mulch calculator shows how much mulch to buy
- Last frost dates lists dates for major cities in the United States and Canada.