Plant spacing calculator
How many plants fit your bed, laid out in square rows or a staggered grid. Pick a vegetable to fill in its recommended spacing.
32 plants
4 rows × 8 plants at 12 in. Square rows: 32 · offset: 30 (-6%).
Why a staggered grid fits more
Each plant needs a circle of space. In square rows, the circles leave diamond-shaped gaps between four plants. Shift every other row by half a space and the rows can move closer, to 0.87× the spacing, the way oranges stack in a crate. Switch the layout above and watch the count change.
Square foot gardening chart
| Per square foot | Crops |
|---|---|
| 1 | Tomato, Pepper, Potato, Broccoli, Sweet corn |
| 2 | Cucumber |
| 4 | Strawberry, Garlic, Lettuce |
| 8 | Pea |
| 9 | Onion, Bean |
| 16 | Carrot |
| Needs more than 1 sq ft | Pumpkin, Squash, Zucchini |
Filling beds? The raised bed soil calculator works out how much soil to buy.
Questions gardeners ask
How do I calculate how many plants I need?
For a square grid, divide the bed length by the spacing, round down, and multiply by the width divided by the spacing, rounded down. Keep all measurements in the same unit. An offset (triangular) grid usually fits 10–15% more plants in the same bed.
What is square foot gardening spacing?
Square foot gardening divides a bed into 1-foot squares and plants 1, 4, 9 or 16 plants per square depending on size: for example 1 tomato, 4 lettuce, 9 bush beans or 16 carrots.
Is offset or square spacing better?
Offset (staggered, triangular) spacing gives each plant an equal circle of room and fits more plants, which suits beds and ground cover. Square rows are easier to weed with a hoe and to set up with irrigation lines.