This is the same distance the seed packet will say you should “thin to.” Of course, we don’t have to “thin to” because we don’t plant a whole packet of seeds using this method. You can see that one, four, nine, or 16 plants should be spaced an equivalent number of inches apart. Another Plant Spacing TechniqueĪnother way to get the proper spacing and number of plants per square foot is to be a little more scientific and do a little arithmetic, as shown below. Some people even have it laminated so they can take it outdoors without worrying about the weather destroying it. To help keep up with this, you may want to print out the handy plant spacing chart in the Image Gallery, so you always have it handy. Medium plants include bush beans, beets and large turnips. They fit nine to every square foot, which equals 4 inches apart. Using the square-foot gardening method, you snip and constantly harvest the outer leaves of edible greens, so they don’t take up as much space as in a conventional garden. This category includes parsley, basil, and even the larger heads of leaf lettuce and Swiss chard. Several crops could be one per square foot if you let them grow to their full sizes, or they can be planted four per square foot if you harvest the outer leaves throughout the season.
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Large plants include leaf lettuce, dwarf marigolds, Swiss chard and parsley. Next are the large plants - those that can be planted four to a square foot, which equals 6 inches apart. The extra large, of course, are those that take up the entire square foot - plants like cabbages, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and geraniums. Shirts come in all four sizes: small, medium, large and extra large, and so do our plants. Think of your plants as if they were shirt sizes. (Yet that’s a 3-inch spacing between plants, which is exactly the same spacing the seed packet recommends as it says “thin to 3 inches apart.”) Consider Plant Size It’s the same for onions and carrots - 16 per square foot. Sixteen can fit into a single square foot. Let’s go to the opposite end of the spectrum and think of the small plants like radishes.
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It’s the same with broccoli and cauliflower. That single cabbage will take up a whole square foot so you can only plant one per square foot. Picture a large plant like a head of cabbage. This simple step prevents you from planting too much. In square-foot gardening, begin by visualizing what you want to harvest. Home Organization News, Blog, & ArticlesĬreate an organized garden plan that ensures proper spaces by following this square-foot gardening planting guide, and you’ll have a thriving veggie garden in no time.Energy Efficiency News, Blog, & Articles.