How Many Plants Fit in Your Garden?
Calculate plant count by bed size and recommended spacing. For vegetables, flowers, herbs, and shrubs.
Why Spacing Matters
Proper plant spacing ensures each plant gets adequate sunlight, air circulation, nutrients, and water. Crowded plants compete for resources, develop disease (poor airflow), produce less, and are harder to harvest. Under-spaced tomato plants are the most common beginner garden mistake — they grow 4-6 feet tall and wide.
Square Foot Gardening Method
The square foot gardening method divides beds into 1-foot squares and plants a specific number per square: 1 tomato or pepper per square, 4 lettuce heads, 9 spinach plants, 16 carrots or radishes. This method maximizes production in small raised beds and is the easiest system for beginners to follow.
Intensive vs Row Planting
Traditional row planting spaces plants far apart with wide walkways between rows — easy to maintain but wastes 50%+ of space. Intensive planting (used in raised beds) spaces plants equidistant in all directions, using every square inch of bed space. A 4×8 raised bed with intensive planting produces as much as a 10×20 traditional row garden.
Companion planting can effectively reduce spacing needs. Basil planted between tomato plants repels aphids. Marigolds planted around the garden perimeter deter many common pests. Tall plants (corn, tomatoes) on the north side of the bed prevent shading shorter plants.
