Guide — updated 2026-07

Square Foot Gardening

Raised bed divided into a grid of nine squares by wooden laths, each densely planted
Plate V — the divided bed

Square foot gardening divides a bed into 1 ft squares and gives each crop a fixed number of plants per square — 16 radishes, 9 spinach, 4 lettuce, 1 tomato. It turns spacing from a judgement call into a lookup, which is why it works so well for beginners and small beds. The full per-square chart for 47 crops is below.

Plants per square foot, by crop

16 per square

2 crops
CarrotRadish

9 per square

8 crops
BeetBush beanLeekOnionParsnipSpinachTurnipCilantro / Coriander

8 per square

2 crops
PeaPole bean

4 per square

12 crops
ArugulaCeleryGarlicKohlrabiLettuceSwiss ChardStrawberryCommon ThymeParsleyCalendula / Pot MarigoldFrench MarigoldSweet Alyssum

2 per square

2 crops
Bok ChoyCucumber

1 per square

21 crops
BroccoliBrussels SproutsCabbageCauliflowerCollard GreensKaleOkraPepper (sweet/bell)Sweet cornSweet PotatoTomatoBasilBorageChivesDillGarden SageGreek OreganoRosemarySpearmintNasturtiumSunflower
Square foot densities and the spacing they come from
CropPer squareRow spacing it derives fromMature height
Carrot 16 3 in 12 in
Radish 16 2 in 8 in
Beet 9 3 in 12 in
Bush bean 9 4 in 24 in
Leek 9 6 in 30 in
Onion 9 4 in 18 in
Parsnip 9 4 in 24 in
Spinach 9 4 in 10 in
Turnip 9 4 in 15 in
Cilantro / Coriander 9 6 in 20 in
Pea 8 2 in 48 in
Pole bean 8 6 in 78 in
Arugula 4 6 in 18 in
Celery 4 8 in 24 in
Garlic 4 5 in 24 in
Kohlrabi 4 6 in 12 in
Lettuce 4 8 in 10 in
Swiss Chard 4 6 in 20 in
Strawberry 4 18 in 10 in
Common Thyme 4 8 in 10 in
Parsley 4 10 in 18 in
Calendula / Pot Marigold 4 12 in 18 in
French Marigold 4 8 in 10 in
Sweet Alyssum 4 8 in 6 in
Bok Choy 2 8 in 12 in
Cucumber 2 12 in 66 in
Broccoli 1 18 in 30 in
Brussels Sprouts 1 18 in 30 in
Cabbage 1 15 in 18 in
Cauliflower 1 18 in 24 in
Collard Greens 1 12 in 30 in
Kale 1 12 in 24 in
Okra 1 12 in 60 in
Pepper (sweet/bell) 1 18 in 30 in
Sweet corn 1 10 in 84 in
Sweet Potato 1 12 in 12 in
Tomato 1 24 in 60 in
Basil 1 12 in 24 in
Borage 1 15 in 30 in
Chives 1 8 in 15 in
Dill 1 12 in 36 in
Garden Sage 1 18 in 24 in
Greek Oregano 1 12 in 24 in
Rosemary 1 24 in 48 in
Spearmint 1 15 in 18 in
Nasturtium 1 10 in 12 in
Sunflower 1 18 in 72 in

Crops that don't fit the method

These need more room than a single square provides, or object to being transplanted into a grid. Give them their own space and treat the surrounding squares as their territory.

AsparagusEggplantPotatoPumpkinRhubarbSummer squash / zucchiniWinter Squash (Butternut)Cantaloupe (Muskmelon)Watermelon

Where the method quietly breaks down

Square foot gardening is genuinely useful, and it is also oversold. Three honest limitations:

Where these numbers come from. We derive per-square counts from extension-published in-row spacing (3 in → 16, 4 in → 9, 6 in → 4, 12 in → 1). Extension services publish spacing but almost never publish square-foot densities, so these are a consistent conversion rather than an independently sourced figure — honest about its provenance, unlike most charts that present them as fact.

Put it into practice

The garden planner is built on exactly this grid — each square is one square foot and shows the per-square count for whatever you plant in it, while checking neighbouring squares for recorded conflicts. Or start from a ready-made layout.

Watering a dense bed

Requisition

Close spacing only works with consistent water. This is the constraint that quietly breaks square foot gardening in hot or unirrigated gardens.

Soaker hose

Delivers water at the roots without wetting foliage, which matters because wet leaves are how fungal disease spreads through a crowded bed.

Runs of more than about 50 ft water unevenly — split into zones instead.

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Drip irrigation kit

The most reliable fix for the crops this site flags as needing steady moisture — the ones that split, bolt or develop blossom end rot when watering is erratic.

Add a timer. The benefit is consistency, and consistency is what humans are bad at.

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Hose timer

Turns a soaker hose into an irrigation system. Uneven watering causes more crop failures in raised beds than any pest on this site.

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Common questions

How many plants per square foot?
It depends on the crop's mature size. The standard densities are 16 per square for radishes and carrots, 9 for spinach and bush beans, 4 for lettuce and chard, 1 for tomatoes, peppers and broccoli, and larger crops like winter squash need several squares each.
Does square foot gardening actually work?
For small, intensively watered beds of compact crops, yes — it removes the guesswork from spacing and makes very efficient use of a tiny area. It works less well for sprawling crops, in dry climates where dense planting competes hard for water, and in humid regions where the reduced airflow between crowded plants raises fungal disease pressure.
What size should a square foot garden bed be?
Four feet by four feet is the classic, divided into sixteen 1 ft squares, because you can reach the centre from any side without stepping on the soil. Six inches of depth is the traditional recommendation but is genuinely shallow — 10 to 12 inches performs much better for anything other than salad greens.
Where do the per-square numbers come from?
They are derived from extension-recommended in-row spacing: a crop spaced 3 inches apart fits 16 to a square, 4 inches fits 9, 6 inches fits 4, and 12 inches or more takes the whole square. Almost no extension service publishes square-foot densities directly, so treat these as a sensible conversion rather than an independently sourced figure. See methodology.
Do I need the grid on top of the bed?
No, though it helps beginners. The physical grid of laths is a teaching aid — its real function is stopping you from broadcasting seed and losing track of spacing. Once you can eyeball 4 inches, the grid stops earning its place.