If you're new to gardening or want to maximize your space, square foot gardening is one of the most efficient ways to grow. Whether you're working with a small backyard or raised garden beds, this method ensures you get the most out of every square inch of soil. With the right spacing, you can grow more, waste less, and enjoy a thriving garden all season long.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about square foot gardening, including the all-important square foot gardening spacing, and give you our square foot gardening chart so you can make the most of your growing area!
Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space
If you’re still using row planting in your raised garden bed, it’s time to rethink your approach. Why? Because you could be growing a lot more without any extra effort—thanks to square foot gardening!
Don’t worry, we’re here to help you see the plant-spacing light.
Here’s the simple shift: Plant by area, not by rows.
Row planting was designed for large, walkable fields—not raised beds. In a raised garden, there’s no need for walking paths between plants because the bed’s purpose is to condense your growing area into a space you can fully reach from the edges. That’s why the best raised gardens always have one dimension of 4 feet or less (think 4×8 or 3×6 raised beds).
Why 4 feet? Because the average arm can reach at least 2 feet. That means a savvy gardener with a 4-foot-wide bed can easily access every plant without stepping into the soil.
No walking in your garden means:
- No soil compression: Your plants’ roots stay healthy and aerated.
- No squished plants: Every crop gets the space it needs to thrive.
- Clean sneakers: Your favorite shoes stay mud-free.
It’s a win, win … win!
What Does "Plant by Area" Mean?
Planting by area means focusing on a square section of your garden, dividing its length and width based on your plants’ spacing needs.
If you check the back of a seed packet, you’ll see two numbers:
- Seed/Plant Spacing
- Row Spacing
Here’s the good news: you can toss that row spacing number right in the compost bin—you won’t need it! Instead, use the seed/plant spacing number to determine how many seeds or plants to place in each square section of your garden.
Getting Started with Square Foot Gardening
Start by dividing your garden into evenly sized sections, roughly 1 square foot each. Don’t stress about hitting exactly 12"x12"—11"x11" often works better due to common garden bed dimensions and material thickness. It won't matter to your plants or the plant spacing recommendations in our chart.
To make spacing easier, many gardeners create a plant spacing grid. Traditionally, this meant measuring, cutting materials, and attaching them to your bed—it's useful for planting, but to be honest, a bit of a hassle to make and made it difficult to work with watering systems once it was in place. So, we set out to simplify and improve the process. That’s how the Garden Grid™ watering system was born.
The Garden Grid™ isn’t just a plant spacing grid; it’s a pre-assembled solution that combines plant spacing and watering in one. It instantly divides your garden into planting squares and surrounds all of your plants with gentle streams of water - ensuring none of them go thirsty. Tap the image below to check them out.
Next: Let’s Figure Out How Many Plants to Grow
If you’re eager to dive right in, scroll down to our plant spacing chart for easy plant spacing measurements. But if you’re curious about how to calculate these numbers, stick around—we’re doing some quick and easy math (we promise, no panic required!).
How to Calculate Plant Spacing in 6 Simple Steps:
- Find the seed spacing number on the back of your seed packet. Ignore the row spacing number. (For this example, we’ll use 3-inch seed spacing.)
- Divide the width of your planting square (about 12 inches) by the seed spacing. Example: 12 inches ÷ 3 inches = 4 plants across.
- Repeat for the length of your planting square (also about 12 inches).Example: 12 inches ÷ 3 inches = 4 plants across.
- Multiply the two answers together to find the total number of plants per section. Example: 4 plants across × 4 plants across = 16 plants!
- Start planting! For 3-inch spacing, you can grow up to 16 plants in one square foot.
- Keep going! Now that you’ve mastered the formula, you can space plants like a pro throughout your entire garden.
Pro Tip: To save yourself time, use our Plant Spacing Chart below—it has over 60 popular plants and their square foot gardening spacing needs.
For a little garden inspiration, try this salad garden layout we made based on our 4×4 Garden Grid™. Tap here for our full salad garden, salsa garden, or stir-fry garden blog posts.
Ready to Grow? Let’s Put Square Foot Gardening into Action!
Now that you know how plant spacing works, it’s time to get planting!
The Garden In Minutes® Plant Spacing Chart
Use this chart to discover how many plants you can grow per square foot—whether you’re looking for maximum yields or planning for your favorite veggies and herbs.
Scroll down for a saveable, printable version and take the guesswork out of gardening. The best time to start growing is now! 🌱
| Plant Type | Plant Spacing Per Square | Plant Type | Plant Spacing Per Square |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arugula | 4 | Oregano | 1 |
| Asian Greens | 4 | Parsley | 4 |
| Basil | 2-4 | Parsnips | 9 |
| Beans (bush) | 4-9 | Peanuts | 1 |
| Beets | 9 | Peas | 4-9 |
| Bok Choy (baby) | 9 | Peppers (All Types) | 1 |
| Bok Choy (standard) | 2-4 | Potato | 4 |
| Broccoli | 1 | Pumpkin | 2 squares per plant |
| Brussel Sprout | 1 | Quinoa | 4 |
| Cabbage | 1 | Radicchio | 2 |
| Cantaloupe | 2 squares per plant | Radishes | 12-16 |
| Carrots | 9-16 | Red Onion | 9 |
| Cauliflower | 1 | Rhubarb | 1 |
| Celery | 4 | Romaine | 4 |
| Celtuce | 2 | Rosemary | 1 |
| Chives | 4 | Rutabaga | 4 |
| Cilantro | 1-9 | Sage | 1 |
| Collards | 1 | Shallots | 9 |
| Corn | 4 | Sorrel | 2 |
| Cucumbers | 2 | Spinach | 9 |
| Eggplant | 1 | Squash | 1 |
| Endive | 4 | Strawberry | 1-4 |
| Fennel | 4 | Swiss Chard | 4 |
| French Sorrel | 4-9 | Tarragon | 1 |
| Garlic | 9 | Tomato | 1 |
| Green Onions | 16 | Turnips | 9 |
| Kale | 1 | Thyme | 4 |
| Kohlrabi | 4 | Wasabi | 1 |
| Leeks | 9 | Watercress | 1 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | 6 | Watermelon | 2 squares per plant |
| Lettuce (sm. head/bibb) | 3 | Yams | 4 |
| Lettuce (head) | 2 | Yellow Onion (large) | 2-4 |
| Melons | 2 squares per plant | Yucca | 2 square per plant |
| Mint | 1-4 | Zucchini | 1 |
| Okra | 1 |
Shareable/Printable Version Of Our Plant Spacing Guide (tap to open & save)
That’s Everything You Need to Start Square Foot Gardening
With this plant spacing chart and guide, you’re all set to maximize your garden’s potential. Planting by area, inspired by square foot gardening, makes growing easier, more organized, and more productive.
Want to dive deeper? Check out our article on square foot gardening for even more tips and tricks. Curious about combining your planting with a built-in irrigation system? Take a look at The Garden Grid™ — it’s the easiest way to grow and water, no tools required!
Our plant spacing chart keeps growing! If there’s a plant you’d like us to add, drop a comment below! Happy gardening! 🌱
