Plant Spacing Calculator

The plant spacing calculator to help gardeners, farmers, and agricultural professionals determine optimal distance between plants and rows in their cultivation areas.

The calculator helps optimize several crucial aspects:

Resource utilization: Efficient use of water, nutrients, and sunlight
Air circulation: Proper spacing reduces disease risk
Root development: Adequate room for root systems to expand
Harvest accessibility: Convenient Tree spacing for maintenance and harvesting

Let’s say you want to plant tomatoes in a 20ft × 30ft garden plot.

Recommended spacing between tomato plants: 24 inches
Recommended row spacing: 36 inches

Using the calculator:

Row calculation: 30ft × 12 inches = 360 inches ÷ 36 inches = 10 rows
Plants per row: 20ft × 12 inches = 240 inches ÷ 24 inches = 10 plants
Total plants possible: 10 rows × 10 plants = 100 tomato plants

Crop Type	Garden Size	Plant Spacing	Row Spacing	Total Plants	Yield Estimate
Tomatoes	20×30 ft	24 inches	36 inches	100	400-500 lbs
Lettuce	10×15 ft	8 inches	12 inches	225	180-225 heads
Carrots	8×12 ft	3 inches	12 inches	768	150-200 lbs
Potatoes	25×40 ft	12 inches	36 inches	333	500-600 lbs
Bell Peppers	15×20 ft	18 inches	24 inches	100	300-400 lbs
Cucumbers	10×15 ft	12 inches	48 inches	50	150-200 lbs
Spinach	5×10 ft	6 inches	12 inches	120	50-70 lbs
Zucchini	10×10 ft	24 inches	36 inches	16	80-100 lbs
Corn	30×30 ft	8 inches	30 inches	225	300-400 ears
Broccoli	4×8 ft	18 inches	24 inches	32	60-80 heads
Radishes	4×10 ft	2 inches	12 inches	2400	50-70 lbs
Kale	5×5 ft	12 inches	18 inches	25	40-60 lbs
Onions	10×20 ft	4 inches	12 inches	600	Varies
Garlic	4×10 ft	6 inches	12 inches	160	Varies
Eggplant	10×15 ft	18 inches	24 inches	100	Varies

Plant Spacing Chart

Plant Type	Between Plants (inches)	Between Rows (inches)	Plants per Square Foot
Tomatoes	24-36	36-48	0.25-0.5
Lettuce	6-12	12-18	4-6
Carrots	2-3	12-18	16
Peppers	18-24	24-36	0.5-1
Cucumbers	12-18	48-72	0.5
Corn	8-12	30-36	1
Potatoes	12-15	36	1
Cabbage	18-24	24-36	0.5-1

Plant Spacing Calculation Formula

The formula for calculating plant spacing is:

Total Plants = (Bed Length ÷ Plant Spacing) × (Bed Width ÷ Row Spacing)

For more precise calculations, use these factors:

Number of Rows = Total Width ÷ Row Spacing
Plants per Row = Total Length ÷ Plant Spacing
Total Plants = Number of Rows × Plants per Row

For a vegetable garden measuring 15ft × 25ft growing bell peppers:

Plant spacing: 18 inches (1.5 ft)
Row spacing: 24 inches (2 ft)

Calculations:

Number of rows = 15ft ÷ 2ft = 7.5 (round down to 7 rows)

Plants per row = 25ft ÷ 1.5ft = 16.67 (round down to 16 plants)

Total plants = 7 rows × 16 plants = 112 pepper plants

How to Calculate Plant Spacing per Acre?

Formula for Plants per Acre:

Plants per Acre = (43,560 × E) ÷ (R × P)

Where:

E = Efficiency factor (typically 0.8-0.9 to account for paths/access)
R = Row spacing in feet
P = Plant spacing in feet

Calculating plant spacing per acre requires converting acre measurements to square feet and accounting for walkways and access paths. One acre equals 43,560 square feet.

Calculate corn plants per acre with:

Row spacing: 30 inches (2.5 feet)
Plant spacing: 8 inches (0.67 feet)
Efficiency factor: 0.85

Calculation: Plants per Acre = (43,560 × 0.85) ÷ (2.5 × 0.67)
= 37,026 ÷ 1.675
= 22,105 corn plants per acre

References

University of Minnesota Extension – “Planting and Growing Guides” https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides
Cornell University Cooperative Extension – “Vegetable Growing Guides” http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/
UC Davis Agricultural and Natural Resources – “Vegetable Gardening Resources” https://ucanr.edu/sites/gardenweb/vegetables/

Related Biology Calculator:

Plant Spacing Calculator – How Many Plants Do I Need