Make every square foot count
How many plants fit in this bed?
Search any plant in Sow and enter the size of your bed. We’ll show how far apart to plant it and how many fit with closer spacing or a little more room.
What are you planting?
1Search over 14,000 plants in Sow, from vegetables and herbs to shrubs and trees.
How large is the bed?
2Choose what you’re planting.
We’ll show how many plants fit and how far apart to place them.
How to use the answer
Closer planting needs a little more care.
Planting close together can shade the soil, reduce weeds, and grow more food in a small bed. It also needs better soil, steady water, and regular harvesting.
- Start with loose, healthy soil and dependable watering.
- Harvest often so mature plants do not crowd one another as they grow.
- Choose the roomier option if leaf diseases are common in your garden.
Where the information comes from
- University of Florida IFAS Extension — Square Foot Gardening — guidance for planting more in small garden beds
Questions gardeners ask
How does the calculator count plants?
It sets plants out in rows at your chosen spacing, each half a space in from the edges of the bed, so plants at the edge get as much room as those in the middle. Spacing that divides evenly into a foot gives the familiar square-foot counts: 6 inches apart fits four plants per square foot, 4 inches fits nine and 3 inches fits sixteen. With only the square footage entered, it divides the area by the space each plant takes, which suits a large or irregular area.
Should I use closer or roomier spacing?
Use the closer option when your bed has healthy soil, steady water, and frequent harvests. Choose the roomier option for easier care, better airflow, or a variety that grows especially large.
Where does the spacing come from?
Common vegetables and herbs use square-foot garden spacing. Every other plant uses its mature width from Sow’s plant library: closer spacing is three-quarters of that width, so neighbors just touch once they fill in, and roomier spacing is the full width. This matches the spacing in Sow’s Garden Planner.
Why is the result rounded down?
You cannot plant part of a plant. Rounding down also leaves a little room for bed edges, paths, watering lines, and measurements that are not exact.