Row Spacing Chart: Metric Rows Per Bed Tables

A row spacing chart in metric tells you how many rows fit across a bed and how much row you have to sow. This blog gives that chart in metric only, for beds from 0.6 m wide to 3.0 m wide. The imperial tables are in the companion blog.

What a row spacing chart gives you

A row spacing chart answers three questions for one bed. How wide is the bed. How far apart are the rows. How many rows fit, and how much total row length does that give to sow. Total row length is rows times bed length.

The Row Spacing Calculator works in two modes. In set spacing mode you enter a spacing and the calculator finds how many rows fit. In set row count mode you enter a number of rows and the calculator finds the spacing that fits that many rows.

The calculator does not give plants per row, plants per bed, density, seeds, yield, or cost. It counts rows only.

The standard bed here is 1.2 m wide and 3 m long, with a 15 cm margin at each edge, a default spacing of 30 cm, and a default row count of 4.

The formula in plain words

Usable width equals bed width minus 2 times margin, because the margin is taken from each edge. On the standard bed, bed width is 120 cm and margin is 15 cm, so usable width is 90 cm.

Rows equals floor of usable width divided by spacing, plus 1. Floor means divide, then drop any fraction, because a part row does not exist in a real bed. The first row sits one margin in from the first edge, and the last row sits one margin in from the far edge. Count the whole spacings that fit, then add 1 for that first row.

On the standard bed, rows equals floor of 90 divided by 30, plus 1, which is 4, and total row length equals 4 times 3, which is 12 m.

Table 1: rows per bed by bed width at 30 cm spacing

Table 1 holds spacing at 30 cm, margin at 15 cm, and bed length at 3 m, and changes bed width.

Bed width	Usable width	Rows	Total row length
0.6 m	30 cm	2	6 m
0.9 m	60 cm	3	9 m
1.2 m	90 cm	4	12 m
1.5 m	120 cm	5	15 m
1.8 m	150 cm	6	18 m
2.4 m	210 cm	8	24 m
3.0 m	270 cm	10	30 m

Each extra 30 cm of usable width adds one row and 3 m of total row length. Table 1 uses the fixed 15 cm margin only.

Table 2: rows per bed by spacing on the standard 1.2 m bed

Table 2 holds the bed fixed at 1.2 m wide and 3 m long, with the same fixed 15 cm margin, and changes the spacing.

Row spacing	Usable width	Rows	Total row length
30 cm	90 cm	4	12 m
45 cm	90 cm	3	9 m
60 cm	90 cm	2	6 m
75 cm	90 cm	2	6 m
90 cm	90 cm	2	6 m

At 30 cm spacing the bed gives 4 rows and 12 m of row. At 45 cm spacing it gives 3 rows and 9 m of row. At 60 cm, 75 cm, and 90 cm spacing it gives 2 rows and 6 m of row in each case. The floor step explains why. Floor of 90 divided by 60, 75, and 90 is 1 in each case, plus 1 is 2, so no spare strip gives a third row.

Use 30 cm for small crops such as carrots and lettuce, and 45 to 90 cm for larger crops.

The same spacings on a wide 3 m bed

Take a 3 m wide bed, 3 m long, with the same 15 cm margin. Usable width is 270 cm.

At 30 cm spacing, the wide bed gives 10 rows and 30 m of row. At 45 cm spacing, it gives 7 rows and 21 m of row. At 60 cm spacing, it gives 5 rows and 15 m of row. At 90 cm spacing, it gives 4 rows and 12 m of row. Check the 45 cm row. Rows equals floor of 270 divided by 45, plus 1, which is 7, and total row length is 21 m.

Spacing for a set number of rows

Set row count mode starts with rows and finds spacing. Use it when you know how many rows you want.

Spacing equals usable width divided by rows minus 1, the number of gaps between rows.

On the standard 1.2 m bed with a 15 cm margin, usable width is 90 cm. For 2 rows, spacing is 90 cm. For 3 rows, spacing is 45 cm. For 4 rows, spacing is 30 cm. For 5 rows, spacing is 22.5 cm. For 6 rows, spacing is 18 cm. For 8 rows, spacing is 12.857 cm, shown to one decimal place as 12.9 cm.

Spacing for 1 row cannot be worked out, because rows minus 1 is zero. One row is the single centre row case, for wide crops that need a single centre row.

The two margin rules give different answers

The fixed margin rule uses 15 cm at each edge. The half spacing rule uses half the row spacing at each edge, so outer plants get the same room as inner ones.

The rules agree at 30 cm, with 4 rows, and at 60 cm, with 2 rows, and differ at 45 cm, 75 cm, and 90 cm. At 45 cm, the fixed margin gives 3 rows and 9 m of row, while the half spacing margin of 22.5 cm gives 2 rows and 6 m of row. At 90 cm, the fixed margin gives 2 rows and 6 m of row, while the half spacing margin of 45 cm gives 1 row and 3 m of row. At 75 cm, the fixed margin gives 2 rows and the half spacing margin gives 1 row. Always state which margin rule you used. Table 1 and Table 2 use the fixed 15 cm margin throughout.

How to use the calculator

The page gives five steps. First, enter bed width and length. Second, choose to set spacing or number of rows. Third, enter the spacing or row count. Fourth, set a margin from each edge, often half the row spacing. Fifth, mark rows with string before sowing.

Mark the first row one margin in from the first edge, then each next row one spacing further across. Count the marked rows before you sow.

Mistakes to avoid

Never convert this metric table to imperial by a rough conversion. The metric and imperial defaults on the page are rounded equivalents, not exact conversions, and a rough conversion changes the row count. Use the imperial tables in the companion blog for imperial beds.

The figures make the point clear. 30 cm is 11.81 in, not 12 in, 15 cm is 5.91 in, not 6 in, 12 in is 30.48 cm, not 30 cm, 6 in is 15.24 cm, not 15 cm, 1.2 m is 3.94 ft, not 4 ft, and 3 m is 9.84 ft, not 10 ft.

Do not round up when you check a count. A bed that holds 4 rows and a spare strip does not hold a fifth row. Round down with floor, then add 1, and do not mix units inside one sum. Paths between beds are not included in any table in this blog. Direct sown rows can be closer than transplant rows. Rows often run north to south, which gives both sides of the row even sun through the day. Default crop figures are starting points to edit, not universal constants. The page was last reviewed in November 2026.

The Crop Spacing Calculator covers plants per bed from two spacings, the Plant Spacing Calculator covers a single spacing on a square grid, the Plants per Square Foot Calculator covers plants per square foot, and the Garden Area Calculator covers measuring the garden area.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What is a row spacing chart?
A: A row spacing chart is a table that shows how many rows fit across a bed at a given spacing, with the total row length to sow.

Q: How many rows fit a 1.2 m bed at 30 cm spacing?
A: 4 rows, with a 15 cm margin at each edge, giving 12 m of total row length on a 3 m bed.

Q: How many rows fit a 3.0 m bed at 30 cm spacing?
A: 10 rows, with a 15 cm margin at each edge, giving 30 m of total row length on a 3 m bed.

Q: What spacing do I need for 5 rows on a 1.2 m bed?
A: 22.5 cm spacing, with a 15 cm margin at each edge and a usable width of 90 cm.

Q: Why do the fixed margin and the half spacing margin give different row counts?
A: Because the margin changes the usable width. At 45 cm spacing the fixed 15 cm margin gives 3 rows and the half spacing margin gives 2 rows.

Q: Does the Row Spacing Calculator give a plant count?
A: No. It gives rows, spacing, and total row length only. It gives no plants per row, no plants per bed, no density, no seeds, no yield, and no cost.