Square Foot Gardening Spacing Chart
How many of each vegetable, herb and flower fit in one square foot, using the four spacings of the square foot gardening method. Use it with the square foot garden planner to lay out a bed.
| Plant | Per square | Spacing |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato (staked) | 1 | 12 in (1 per square) |
| Pepper | 1 | 12 in (1 per square) |
| Eggplant | 1 | 12 in (1 per square) |
| Broccoli | 1 | 12 in (1 per square) |
| Cabbage | 1 | 12 in (1 per square) |
| Cauliflower | 1 | 12 in (1 per square) |
| Kale | 1 | 12 in (1 per square) |
| Zucchini (uses 4 squares) | 1 per 4 squares | 4 squares per plant |
| Cucumber (trellised) | 2 | 8 in apart |
| Swiss chard | 4 | 6 in apart |
| Lettuce (leaf) | 4 | 6 in apart |
| Basil | 4 | 6 in apart |
| Parsley | 4 | 6 in apart |
| Strawberry | 4 | 6 in apart |
| Marigold | 4 | 6 in apart |
| Potato | 4 | 6 in apart |
| Corn | 4 | 6 in apart |
| Pole beans | 8 | 4 in apart |
| Peas | 8 | 4 in apart |
| Bush beans | 9 | 4 in apart |
| Spinach | 9 | 4 in apart |
| Beets | 9 | 4 in apart |
| Garlic (plant in autumn) | 9 | 4 in apart |
| Cilantro | 9 | 4 in apart |
| Bulb onions | 9 | 4 in apart |
| Carrots | 16 | 3 in apart |
| Radishes | 16 | 3 in apart |
| Green onions | 16 | 3 in apart |
How the square foot gardening spacing chart works
Square foot gardening divides each square into an even grid: 1 plant in the centre, 4 plants in a 2 × 2 grid (6 inches apart), 9 in a 3 × 3 grid (4 inches apart) or 16 in a 4 × 4 grid (3 inches apart). The number for a plant matches the spacing on the back of its seed packet: a packet that says "thin to 3 inches" means 16 per square, "thin to 4 inches" means 9, and "6 inches" means 4.
Vining crops are the exception to square foot gardening spacing. Cucumbers and pole beans grown up a trellis fit 2 and 8 per square. Zucchini and winter squash sprawl over 2 to 4 squares even when trained, so count one plant for every 4 squares.
Spacing for crops not on the list
For square foot gardening, read the "thin to" or "plant spacing" line on the seed packet and use the closest grid on the chart: 12 inches or more is 1 per square, 6 inches is 4, 4 inches is 9 and 3 inches is 16.