Plant Spacing Calculator

How it works

The calculator compares the two most common ways of laying out a vegetable bed:

• Traditional rows. Plants sit a set distance apart within each row, with wider aisles between rows. Spacing comes from typical seed-packet and university-extension recommendations. We assume rows run the length of the bed.
• Square foot gardening. The bed is divided into a 1-foot grid and each square holds a fixed number of plants. This intensive method skips row aisles, which is why it fits more plants in a small bed.

Row spacing exists partly so you can walk between rows. In a raised bed you reach in from the sides instead, so intensive spacing works well for beds up to about 4 feet wide. Go wider than that and you can't reach the middle without stepping on your soil.

Once you know how many plants fit, our seed starting calculator tells you when to sow them, and the days-to-harvest calculator tells you when you'll be picking.