Square Foot Gardening Spacing

Planning your Garden, Backyard Eden, www.backyard-eden.com

Spacing is everything.

One of the best ways to grow a backyard veggie that is both efficient and productive is using Square Foot Gardening spacing.  In a traditional garden of the past, people would use rows in order to grow their different vegetables.  

That method works but you need a large garden space for that and many people do not have the space.  Using square foot gardening can be incredibly productive for your backyard veggie garden.

Square Foot Gardening Spacing, How to start square foot gardening, Backyard Eden, www.backyard-eden.com

Some examples for Square Foot Gardening Spacing

Arugula, 4 per SQF

Asparagus, 1 per SQF

Basil, 1 per SQF for large plants/4 per SQF for small plants

Beans (Bush), 9 per SQF

Beans (Pole), 8 per SQF

Beets, 9 per SQF

Broccoli, 1 per SQF

Cabbage, 1 per SQF

Carrots, 16 per SQF

Cauliflower, 1 per SQF

Celery, 1 per SQF

Chives, 9 per SQF

Cilantro, 1 per SQF

Corn, 4 per SQF

Cucumbers, 2 per SQF

Dill, 1 per SQF

Eggplant, 1 per SQF

Garlic, 4 per SQF for large varieties/9 per SQF for small varieties

Greens (Collard), 4 per SQF

Kale, 1-2 per SQF

Leeks, 4 per SQF for large varieties/9 per SQF for small varieties

Lettuce, 4 per SQF

Marjoram, 4 per SQF

Melons, 2 SQF per plant

Mint, 1 per SQF

New Zealand Spinach, 2 per SQF

Okra, 2 per SQF

Onions, 16 per SQF (I have better success with 9 per SQF)

Oregano, 1 per SQF

Parsley, 2 per SQF

Peas, 8 per SQF

Peppers, 1 per SQF

Potatoes, 1 per SQF

Quinoa, 4 per SQF

Pumpkins, 2 SQF per plant

Perpetual Spinach, 2 per SQF

Radishes, 16 per SQF

Rosemary, 1 per SQF

Rutabaga, 4 per SQF

Savory, 1 per SQF

Scallions, 16 per SQF

Spinach, 9 per SQF

Strawberry, 4 per SQF (some people say only 1 per SQF)

Summer Squash, 2 SQF per plant

Sunflower, 1 per SQF

Sweet Potatoes, 2 per SQF

Swiss Chard, 2 per SQF

Thyme, 4 per SQF

Tomatoes, 1 per SQF

Turnips, 9 per SQF

Winter Squash, 2 SQF per plant

Zucchini, 2 SQF per plant

How many per square foot (SQF)? Doing the Math.

General Outline

If you can’t find your plant on this list, here’s the low down on how to determine how many plants belong in a square foot. Look on the seed packet for the plant spacing (ignore the row spacing!). If the spacing is:

3” apart (or something smaller), plant 16 per square foot

4” apart, plant 9 per square foot

6” apart, plant 4 per square foot

12” apart, plant 1 per square foot

If you want more info on Square Foot Gardening, you should check out this book Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew