Plant spacing calculator
Tell it how big your bed is and how far apart each plant should sit — GrowGuide works out how many plants you can fit, how many rows you get, and the planting density, for both grid and offset layouts.
Your bed & spacing
Result
Offset planting stacks rows closer, so a triangular layout usually fits a little more in the same space.
How to use the plant spacing calculator
Measure the bed
Enter the length and width of the area you want to plant. Switch the unit menus to feet, inches, metres, centimetres or yards — mix and match if you like.
Set the spacing
Type the on-center distance each plant needs. Add a separate row spacing if your rows are wider than the in-row gap, or leave it blank to match.
Read the count
The total updates as you type. Compare a straight grid against a staggered triangular layout and pick whichever fits your bed best.
Why spacing your plants right matters
Healthier plants
Crowded plants compete for light, water and nutrients, and trapped humidity invites mildew and rot. Correct spacing keeps airflow moving and roots fed, so each plant reaches full size.
Buy the right amount
Knowing the exact count before you shop means no half-empty beds and no trays of leftovers wilting on the patio. Plan seed orders and transplant trays with confidence.
Nothing leaves your device
The whole calculation happens in your browser. There is no account, no upload and no tracking of your garden plans — close the tab and it is gone.
Getting plant spacing right
Plant spacing is the distance you leave between the centers of two neighbouring plants. Get it wrong in either direction and the bed suffers: too tight and plants shade each other out, too loose and you waste ground and invite weeds into the gaps. The number on a seed packet is chosen so a mature plant just fills its space without crowding its neighbours.
Grid versus triangular layouts
A square grid lines every plant up in straight rows and columns. It is simple to lay out and easy to hoe between, which is why most vegetable rows use it. A triangular (or offset) layout staggers every second row so each plant sits in the gap of the row behind it. Because the rows nest closer together, you can fit roughly 15% more plants in the same bed at the same spacing — handy for ground cover, salad greens and intensive raised beds.
In-row spacing versus row spacing
Many crops want more room between rows than between plants within a row, so you can walk or run a hoe down the middle. If your packet lists two numbers — say 15 cm apart, 30 cm between rows — put the smaller figure in the spacing box and the larger one in the row spacing box. Leaving row spacing blank simply reuses the plant spacing for a uniform grid.
A quick sense check
If you plant a 1.2 m by 2.4 m raised bed with 30 cm spacing, a square grid gives four plants across and eight down, so 32 plants. Bump the spacing to 45 cm and that drops to around fifteen. Small changes in spacing move the total a lot, which is exactly why it pays to check before you dig.
Frequently asked questions
How does the calculator count plants?
It divides the bed length by the plant spacing to get plants per row, and the bed width by the row spacing to get the number of rows, then multiplies the two. Each plant is given its full spacing as a cell, so the count reflects mature plants rather than seedlings squeezed edge to edge.
What is the difference between the two layouts?
A square grid keeps rows directly behind one another. A triangular layout offsets every other row by half a space, letting the rows sit closer together. For the same spacing that typically means about 15% more plants, which the result panel shows side by side.
Can I mix metric and imperial units?
Yes. Every field has its own unit menu, so you can enter a bed in feet and spacing in centimetres if that is how your measurements came. Everything is converted internally before the count is worked out.
Should I use the plant spacing or the row spacing number?
Use plant spacing for the gap between neighbours in the same row, and row spacing for the aisle between rows. If your seed packet gives only one number, enter it as the plant spacing and leave row spacing blank.
Is my garden data sent anywhere?
No. The tool is a single page that calculates entirely on your device. Nothing you type is uploaded, saved to a server, or shared, and it keeps working with your connection switched off.
Does it account for edge margins or paths?
It fills the whole area you enter. If you want a border or a walking path, subtract that from your bed dimensions first, then read off the count for the remaining planting space.