Free Online Calculators
Calculate plant count and spacing for your bed
This plant spacing calculator tells you exactly how many plants fit in your bed and how far apart to place them. It divides your bed dimensions by the desired row and plant spacing to give you the total plant count. Perfect for planning a garden bed of any size, from a small raised bed to a large vegetable plot.
Plants per square metre = 10,000 ÷ (plant spacing × row spacing in cm). Lettuce at 12 in apart gives about 1 plant per square foot, tomatoes at 24 × 36 in one per 6 sq ft. A 4 × 8 ft bed holds 32 lettuces or 4 tomatoes when each plant keeps its full space (half the spacing to the edge).
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| Spacing | Square grid | Staggered (triangle) | Bed 3 × 1.2 m |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 cm | 400 | 461.9 | 1,440 |
| 10 cm | 100 | 115.5 | 360 |
| 15 cm | 44.4 | 51.3 | 160 |
| 20 cm | 25 | 28.9 | 90 |
| 25 cm | 16 | 18.5 | 48 |
| 30 cm | 11.1 | 12.8 | 40 |
| 40 cm | 6.3 | 7.2 | 21 |
| 50 cm | 4 | 4.6 | 12 |
| 60 cm | 2.8 | 3.2 | 10 |
| 80 cm | 1.6 | 1.8 | 3 |
| 100 cm | 1 | 1.2 | 3 |
Rows = bed width ÷ row spacing, plants per row = bed length ÷ plant spacing, both rounded down. A 4 × 8 ft bed holds 32 lettuces (12 in), 4 tomatoes (24 × 36 in) or 512 carrots (3 in).
1 large plant (tomato, pepper, cabbage), 4 medium (lettuce, chard), 9 small (bush beans, spinach) or 16 tiny (carrots, radishes) — that is 12, 6, 4 and 3 in spacing.
Tomatoes 24 in in the row and 30–36 in between rows, peppers 18 × 24 in, lettuce 12 × 12 in, bush beans 4 × 16 in, carrots 2 × 10 in. The calculator starts from these values and lets you change them.
A 3 × 1.5 ft herb bed at 10 in spacing takes 3 plants — basil and parsley at that spacing, rosemary and sage at 18–24 in.
Getting the plant spacing right is one of the most important decisions any gardener can make. Too close together and your plants will compete for nutrients, water, and sunlight. Too far apart and you waste precious growing space while weeds take over. Our free Plant Spacing Calculator takes the guesswork out of garden planning – simply enter your bed dimensions and spacing preferences to instantly find out how many plants you need.
Every plant has its own spatial requirements. A zucchini plant can spread up to 1 meter in diameter, while lettuce needs only 20–25 cm between heads. Ignoring these requirements doesn't just reduce yields – it can lead to disease outbreaks caused by poor air circulation, root competition, and shading. Conversely, planting too sparsely wastes soil fertility and increases weeding workload.
The right spacing between plants ensures each specimen has adequate access to sunlight, water, and nutrients. It also makes harvesting and maintenance easier. Our calculator helps you achieve this balance effortlessly, whether you're planning a small balcony planter or a large vegetable garden.
Our tool is designed to be intuitive and fast. Simply enter the following values:
Within seconds, the calculator displays the total number of plants needed to fill your space. This information is invaluable before heading to the garden center, saving you from buying too many or too few plants.
The calculator supports two fundamental planting patterns. The square grid arrangement places plants in straight rows and columns – simple to set up and easy to maintain. The staggered pattern (also called offset or triangular spacing) shifts every second row by half the plant spacing. To keep half a spacing to the bed edge, those rows hold one plant fewer, so in the calculator staggering never adds plants. Its benefit is a more even spread, for example for ground covers, strawberries or onions.
You have a 4 m × 2 m raised bed and want to plant tomatoes. Recommended spacing: 70 cm in-row, 80 cm between rows. Using the square grid, the calculator returns 400 cm ÷ 70 cm = 5 plants per row and 200 cm ÷ 80 cm = 2 rows (both rounded down): 5 × 2 = 10 tomato plants. Now you know exactly how many seedlings to buy.
A 3 m × 1.5 m bed for strawberries with 30 cm in-row spacing and 30 cm row spacing gives 5 rows of 10, i.e. 50 plants, on a square grid. Staggered, the calculator shows 48, because the second and fourth rows each hold one plant fewer.
An 80 cm × 20 cm window box with 15 cm plant spacing: the calculator recommends 5 plants – enough for a full, colorful display without overcrowding.
Divide 1 m² by the product of your plant spacing and row spacing (both in meters). For example: 0.25 m × 0.25 m = 0.0625 m² per plant, meaning approximately 16 plants per square meter.
Plant spacing refers to the distance between individual plants within a single row. Row spacing is the distance between two adjacent rows. Together, these two values define the planting density of your bed.
Absolutely. Enter the hedge length as the bed length and the desired hedge depth as the bed width. For common hedging plants like privet, hornbeam, or boxwood, spacing typically ranges from 30 to 60 cm depending on the desired density.
Yes, the Plant Spacing Calculator works for any defined rectangular area – from small containers and window boxes to large raised beds and open garden plots. Just enter the correct dimensions and get your result instantly.
Yes, completely free. Our Plant Spacing Calculator at simple-calculator.online requires no registration, no download, and no payment. Open it in any browser on any device and start planning your garden right away.