Reference

Square Foot Gardening Spacing Chart

In square foot gardening you divide each one-foot square into an even grid and plant 1, 4, 9 or 16 plants in it - based on how much room the plant needs. Here is the spacing for 40 common crops.

16 per sq ft

3 in apart

9 per sq ft

4 in apart

4 per sq ft

6 in apart

1 per sq ft

12 in apart

16 per square foot - 3 in apart (Small plants)

Plant	Type	Season	Sun	Days to harvest
Carrot	vegetable	cool	full	60-80
Chives	herb	perennial	partial	75-90
Radish	vegetable	cool	full	22-35

9 per square foot - 4 in apart (Medium-small plants)

Plant	Type	Season	Sun	Days to harvest
Beet	vegetable	cool	full	50-70
Bush Bean	vegetable	warm	full	50-60
Cilantro	herb	cool	partial	40-55
Garlic	vegetable	cool	full	240-270
Onion	vegetable	cool	full	90-120
Pea	vegetable	cool	full	55-70
Pole Bean	vegetable	warm	full	60-75
Spinach	vegetable	cool	partial	40-50

4 per square foot - 6 in apart (Medium plants)

Plant	Type	Season	Sun	Days to harvest
Basil	herb	warm	full	50-75
Celery	vegetable	cool	full	80-120
Corn	vegetable	warm	full	60-90
Lettuce	vegetable	cool	partial	45-65
Marigold	flower	warm	full	45-60
Parsley	herb	cool	partial	70-90
Potato	vegetable	cool	full	75-110
Strawberry	fruit	perennial	full	90-120
Swiss Chard	vegetable	cool	full	50-60
Thyme	herb	perennial	full	75-90

1 per square foot - 12 in apart (Large plants)

Plant	Type	Season	Sun	Days to harvest
Broccoli	vegetable	cool	full	60-90
Cabbage	vegetable	cool	full	65-95
Cauliflower	vegetable	cool	full	65-85
Cucumber	vegetable	warm	full	50-70
Dill	herb	warm	full	40-65
Eggplant	vegetable	warm	full	65-85
Kale	vegetable	cool	full	50-65
Mint	herb	perennial	partial	60-90
Nasturtium	flower	warm	full	50-65
Okra	vegetable	warm	full	50-65
Oregano	herb	perennial	full	80-90
Pepper	vegetable	warm	full	60-90
Pumpkin	fruit	warm	full	90-120
Rosemary	herb	perennial	full	80-95
Sage	herb	perennial	full	75-90
Sweet Potato	vegetable	warm	full	90-120
Tomato	vegetable	warm	full	60-85
Watermelon	fruit	warm	full	70-95
Zucchini / Summer Squash	vegetable	warm	full	45-60

Spacing follows the canonical square-foot-gardening chart. A few crops vary by source (for example the official 2024 chart lists onions at 16 per square; this chart uses 9). Days to harvest are typical ranges - always check the seed packet and your local growing season.

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Spacing questions

How many plants can you grow per square foot?+

The square-foot-gardening method uses four spacings: 1 plant per square (large plants, 12 inch spacing), 4 per square (6 inch), 9 per square (4 inch), or 16 per square (3 inch). The number depends on how much room the mature plant needs.

How many carrots per square foot?+

16 carrots per square foot - they are spaced 3 inches apart. The same 16-per-square spacing applies to radishes.

How many tomatoes per square foot?+

One tomato per square foot. Tomatoes are large plants spaced about 12 inches apart, so each takes a full square.

What spacing does square foot gardening use?+

Plants are spaced 3, 4, 6 or 12 inches apart, which divides a one-foot square into 16, 9, 4 or 1 planting spots. You never measure rows - you just divide each square into an even grid.