Plant Spacing & Layout

Square Foot Garden Planner

Enter your raised bed length and width to see how many vegetables fit using the square foot gardening method, which divides the bed into 1-foot squares.

How to use the square foot garden planner

Enter the length and width of your raised bed in feet and press Calculate My Garden. The planner multiplies the two dimensions to find the total number of 1-foot squares in your bed, then shows how many of each common vegetable you can grow using the square foot gardening method. A color-coded grid gives you a quick visual of how your bed is divided, and the table breaks down plant counts by size so you can plan exactly what to buy.

What is square foot gardening?

Square foot gardening is an intensive growing system that replaces long, widely spaced rows with a compact grid of 1-foot by 1-foot squares. The method was popularized by engineer Mel Bartholomew in the 1980s as a way to produce more food in less space with far less work. Because each square is planted to its ideal density, there is little wasted ground, weeds have nowhere to take hold, and watering and harvesting become simple and predictable.

How many plants go in each square?

The number of plants per square depends on how much room each crop needs at maturity. The convention divides vegetables into four groups:

  • 1 per square — large plants such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, broccoli, cabbage, and kale.
  • 4 per square — medium plants such as lettuce, swiss chard, basil, and parsley.
  • 9 per square — compact plants such as bush beans, spinach, and peas.
  • 16 per square — small root crops such as carrots, radishes, onions, and beets.

To find how many of a plant fit in your whole bed, multiply the number of squares by the plants-per-square figure. For example, a 4 ft by 8 ft bed has 32 squares, so it holds 32 tomatoes, 128 lettuces, 288 bush beans, or 512 carrots — or any mix of those across the squares.

Why gardeners love the square foot method

The grid takes the guesswork out of spacing: instead of measuring inches between every seedling, you simply plant the right number in each square. Beds are kept narrow — usually no wider than 4 feet — so you can reach the center from either side without ever stepping on and compacting the soil. Dense planting shades the ground, which locks in moisture and crowds out weeds. And because each square is independent, you can rotate crops, succession plant, and combine companion plants with ease.

Tips for a productive square foot garden

  • Measure the interior dimensions of the bed, not the outer frame, for an accurate square count.
  • Fill the bed with a light, fertile mix; a blend of compost, peat or coir, and coarse vermiculite drains well and feeds plants.
  • Replant each square as soon as it is harvested to keep the bed producing all season.
  • Place taller crops like tomatoes and trellised beans on the north side so they do not shade shorter plants.
  • Use the plant counts here as a starting point, then adjust for vigorous varieties that need a little more elbow room.

Frequently Asked Questions

Square foot gardening is an intensive planting method, popularized by Mel Bartholomew, that divides a raised bed into a grid of 1-foot by 1-foot squares. Instead of planting in long rows, you plant each square with a set number of plants based on their mature size — 1, 4, 9, or 16 per square. It maximizes yield in a small space, reduces weeding, and makes spacing simple.
It depends on the plant’s mature size. Large plants like tomatoes, peppers, and cabbage get 1 per square. Medium plants like lettuce and basil get 4. Smaller plants like spinach, beans, and peas get 9. Tiny plants like carrots, radishes, and onions get 16 per square. This calculator multiplies the number of squares in your bed by each of these densities.
A 4-foot by 4-foot bed is the classic starting size because you can reach the center from any side without stepping on the soil. A 4-foot by 8-foot bed is also very popular. Keep beds no wider than 4 feet so you never have to compress the growing area; length can be whatever your space allows.
Square foot gardening is built around whole 1-foot squares, so beds are usually measured in whole feet. This calculator still accepts decimal sizes and multiplies length by width for the total area, but the visual grid shows whole 1-foot squares. For the cleanest layout, round your bed dimensions to whole feet.
Most vegetables thrive in 6 to 12 inches of soil. Six inches is enough for leafy greens, herbs, and shallow-rooted crops, while root vegetables and larger plants like tomatoes do better with 10 to 12 inches. If you want to know how much soil to buy to fill that depth, use the Raised Bed Soil Calculator.
Yes — that is one of the biggest advantages of square foot gardening. Each square is planted independently, so you can put 1 tomato in one square, 4 lettuces in the next, and 16 carrots in another. Mixing crops also helps with companion planting and spreads out your harvest over the season.

More Tools to Explore

Plant Spacing Calculator How many plants fit in your bed Open tool → Raised Bed Soil Calculator Bags and cubic yards for any bed Open tool → Seed Starting Calculator When to start seeds indoors Open tool →

GardenCalc Editorial Team

Horticulture Writers & Master Gardeners

Our calculators and guides are written and fact-checked by gardeners with hands-on experience in vegetable production, soil management, and home landscaping.