Tool

Square-foot spacing calculator

Set your bed size and choose a crop. You will get a starting layout based on published square-foot guidance for 31 vegetables and herbs.

Step 1

Set your bed size

Enter each side from 1 to 50 feet.

Length (ft)Width (ft)

16sq ft

Step 2

Choose what you are planting

Popular:

Your result

Arugula

Eruca vesicaria

Plant guide

256

plants in your 16 sq ft bed

Starting density: 16 plants per square foot

Planting pattern

Each outlined cell represents one square foot.

Starting density from UF/IFAS Leon County Extension square-foot planting guide. Variety, mature size, airflow, and local conditions can require more room.

Calculate soil for this 4 x 4 bed

Spacing reference

How many plants fit in a 4 by 8 raised bed?

A 4 by 8 bed has 32 square feet. At the published starting densities, it fits 16 tomato plants, 512 carrot plants, or 8 zucchini plants. Crop habit and support matter, so the complete table keeps each trellis or plant-form assumption beside the number.

See all 31 crop densities

Square-foot starting densities and 4 by 8 bed counts for 31 crops
Crop	Starting density	Plants in 4 by 8 feet	Assumption
Arugula	16 plants per square foot	512	None listed
Basil	1 plant per square foot	32	None listed
Bok Choy	1 plant per square foot	32	None listed
Broccoli	1 plant per 2 square feet	16	None listed
Cantaloupe	1 plant per 2 square feet	16	Trellised
Carrot	16 plants per square foot	512	None listed
Celery	1 plant per square foot	32	None listed
Collards	1 plant per square foot	32	None listed
Cucumber	1 plant per square foot	32	None listed
Eggplant	1 plant per square foot	32	None listed
Garlic	4 plants per square foot	128	None listed
Green Bean (Snap Bean)	9 plants per square foot	288	Bush beans. Pole beans: 8 per square with a trellis
Kale	1 plant per square foot	32	None listed
Kohlrabi	4 plants per square foot	128	None listed
Lettuce	4 plants per square foot	128	Leaf lettuce. Head lettuce: 1 per square
Mustard Greens	4 plants per square foot	128	None listed
Okra	1 plant per square foot	32	None listed
Onion	4 plants per square foot	128	Bulbing onions
Pea	8 plants per square foot	256	None listed
Pepper	1 plant per square foot	32	None listed
Potato	1 plant per square foot	32	None listed
Radish	16 plants per square foot	512	None listed
Scallion (Green Onion)	16 plants per square foot	512	None listed
Shallot	4 plants per square foot	128	None listed
Sweet Corn	2 plants per square foot	64	None listed
Sweet Potato	1 plant per square foot	32	None listed
Tomato	1 plant per 2 square feet	16	Staked or caged
Turnip	9 plants per square foot	288	None listed
Watermelon	1 plant per 2 square feet	16	Trellised
Winter Squash	1 plant per 2 square feet	16	Trellised
Zucchini	1 plant per 4 square feet	8	Non-vining summer squash

Source: UF/IFAS Leon County Extension square-foot planting guide. The calculator never derives intensive-bed density from ordinary row spacing.

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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Free <a href="https://sproutauthority.com/tools/spacing-calculator">Sprout Authority spacing calculator</a> by Sprout Authority.</p>

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Finish the bed plan

Calculate the soil behind the layout

Convert the same bed dimensions into cubic feet, cubic yards, and bags of mix.

Open the soil calculator

Common questions

How do you calculate the bed total?

The calculator stores a cited starting density for each crop, either as plants per square foot or one plant across several square feet. It multiplies that density by your usable bed area and rounds down to a whole plant.

Where does the square-foot spacing come from?

The starting densities come from the UF/IFAS Leon County Extension square-foot planting guide. They are stored separately from conventional in-row spacing because intensive-bed fit also depends on mature habit and trellising.

Should I always use the maximum count?

Treat the result as a starting layout. Variety, mature size, airflow, soil fertility, water, and local disease pressure can require more room. The calculator names trellis or plant-form assumptions when the source does.