How do I calculate plant spacing?

For a rectangular bed, divide the bed width by the plant spacing to get plants per row, then divide the bed length by the row spacing to get the number of rows. Multiply the two numbers for total plant count. For example, a 120 cm × 120 cm bed with 30 cm plant spacing and 30 cm row spacing fits 4 × 4 = 16 plants.

How many plants fit in a square foot?

It depends on the plant size. In a 30 cm × 30 cm square: 16 carrots or radishes (5 cm spacing), 9 onions or beetroot (8-10 cm spacing), 4 lettuce (15 cm spacing), or 1 tomato, pepper, broccoli, or cabbage (30+ cm spacing). These are based on the square foot gardening method.

How far apart should hedge plants be?

Hedge spacing depends on the species. Privet and hawthorn: 30 cm apart (3-5 per metre). Box (Buxus): 20 cm apart (5-6 per metre). Beech and hornbeam: 40 cm apart (3 per metre). Yew: 45 cm apart (2-3 per metre). Laurel: 60 cm apart (2 per metre). For a denser hedge, plant in a double staggered row with slightly tighter spacing.

What is the difference between plant spacing and row spacing?

Plant spacing is the distance between individual plants within the same row. Row spacing is the distance between the rows themselves. Row spacing is usually wider than plant spacing because you need room to access plants for weeding, watering, and harvesting. In raised beds where you can reach from the sides, you can often use tighter row spacing.

Can I plant closer than the recommended spacing?

Yes, in some cases. Baby leaf crops like lettuce, rocket, and spinach can be planted much closer if you're harvesting young leaves rather than full heads. Plants in very fertile soil with regular feeding can also tolerate tighter spacing. However, overcrowding increases disease risk due to poor airflow and leads to smaller harvests per plant.

Plant Spacing Calculator

Calculate how many vegetables fit in any pot, container, or raised bed. Get an instant visual layout with common UK vegetables or custom spacing.

Container & Plant Details

Results

You can fit approximately:

plants

• Green dots represent individual plants

• Spacing shown is center-to-center

• Works for any pot, container, or raised bed

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Plant Spacing Chart — Quick Reference

Common vegetables with recommended spacing for rows and square foot gardening. All measurements in centimetres.

Vegetable	Between Plants	Between Rows	Per Sq Foot
Carrot	5 cm	20 cm	16
Radish	5 cm	20 cm	16
Onion	8 cm	25 cm	9
Beetroot	10 cm	30 cm	9
Spinach	12 cm	25 cm	9
Lettuce	22 cm	27 cm	4
Chard	25 cm	45 cm	4
Kale	35 cm	40 cm	1
Pepper (Sweet)	40 cm	40 cm	1
Tomato	45 cm	60 cm	1
Broccoli	45 cm	60 cm	1
Cabbage	50 cm	60 cm	1
Courgette (Zucchini)	75 cm	85 cm	1
Pumpkin	120 cm	120 cm	1

Spacing varies by variety. Always check your seed packet. "Per Sq Foot" is based on square foot gardening method (30 cm × 30 cm grid).

How Plant Spacing Works

Plant spacing determines how much room each plant gets to grow. Get it right and plants have enough light, water, and nutrients to produce well. Get it wrong and you end up with stunted plants competing for resources, or wasted space that could be growing food.

There are two measurements that matter: the distance between individual plants in a row (plant spacing), and the distance between the rows themselves (row spacing). Row spacing is usually wider because you need room to walk, weed, and harvest between rows.

Row spacing vs square foot gardening

Traditional row spacing assumes you need paths between rows. In a raised bed or container, you can access plants from the sides, so you can use tighter spacing. Square foot gardening takes this further by dividing beds into 30 cm (1 foot) squares and planting a set number of plants per square based on their size.

For example, carrots spaced 5 cm apart in rows 20 cm apart give you about 16 plants per square foot. Tomatoes at 45 cm spacing give you one plant per square foot. The calculator above handles both approaches — just enter the spacing that matches your method.

The formula

For a rectangular bed, the basic calculation is: plants per row = bed width ÷ plant spacing, then number of rows = bed length ÷ row spacing. Multiply the two for total plant count. For round containers, the calculator uses a ring-based layout that maximises the number of plants while maintaining even spacing.

When to space tighter or wider

Space tighter than recommended if you're growing baby leaves (lettuce, rocket, spinach) for cut-and-come-again harvesting, or if you're growing in very fertile soil with regular feeding. Space wider if your soil is poor, water is limited, or you're growing in partial shade where plants need to spread to find light.

Hedge Plant Spacing Guide

Hedge spacing depends on the species and how dense you want the finished hedge. Here are common recommendations.

Hedge Type	Single Row	Double Row	Notes
Privet	30 cm	25 cm	Fast-growing, clips well. 3-5 plants per metre.
Box (Buxus)	20 cm	15 cm	Slow-growing, dense. 5-6 plants per metre for low hedges.
Beech	40 cm	33 cm	Retains copper leaves in winter. 3 plants per metre.
Hornbeam	40 cm	33 cm	Similar to beech, better on heavy clay soils.
Yew	45 cm	35 cm	Slow but long-lived. 2-3 plants per metre.
Laurel	60 cm	45 cm	Large leaves, fast-growing. 2 plants per metre.
Hawthorn	30 cm	25 cm	Native, thorny. Good for wildlife hedges. 3-5 per metre.
Leylandii	75 cm	—	Very fast. Single row only. Needs regular trimming.

How to calculate hedge plants needed

Measure the total length of your hedge in metres. For a single row, divide by the spacing. A 10-metre privet hedge at 30 cm spacing needs 33 plants (10 ÷ 0.3). For a double row, stagger the plants in a zigzag pattern with rows 30-40 cm apart, and use the tighter spacing from the table above.

Double rows fill in faster and create a denser hedge sooner, but cost more upfront. For most garden hedges, a single row at the recommended spacing will fill in within 2-3 years for fast growers like privet, or 4-5 years for slower species like yew.

How to Use This Calculator

1. Choose Your Shape

Select Rectangle for raised beds, troughs, window boxes, or rectangular pots. Select Round for circular pots, round raised beds, or circular containers.

2. Enter Dimensions

Measure your pot or bed and enter the dimensions in centimeters. For rectangular spaces, measure width and length. For round spaces, measure the diameter across the widest point.

3. Select Your Plant

Choose from common UK vegetables to automatically load recommended spacing, or select "Custom" to enter your own spacing from a seed packet.

Common Raised Bed Sizes

Not sure what dimensions to enter? Here are standard raised bed sizes and what fits in them.

120 × 60 cm (4 × 2 ft)

Compact bed. Fits 8 lettuce, 4 pepper plants, or 48 carrots. Good for patios and small gardens.

120 × 120 cm (4 × 4 ft)

Classic square foot garden. 16 squares, reachable from all sides. The most popular size for beginners.

240 × 120 cm (8 × 4 ft)

Standard allotment bed. 32 squares. Enough for a serious vegetable rotation with multiple crops.

300 × 120 cm (10 × 4 ft)

Large bed. 40 squares. Room for sprawling crops like courgettes alongside compact vegetables.

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