Vegetable Row Spacing by Crop Size and Bed Width

Vegetable row spacing is the distance you leave between one row of vegetables and the next row in a bed, and it decides how many rows fit across the bed. This guide works the page crop size band on the standard bed, so you can see the row count and the total row length for small crops and for larger crops before you sow.

What the crop size band says

The page FAQ gives one band for small crops and one band for larger crops, and nothing more. Small crops such as carrots and lettuce use 30 cm spacing, which the page gives as 12 in. Larger crops use 45 to 90 cm spacing, which the page gives as 18 to 36 in. The page gives no per crop preset table for this calculator, and no spacing for any other named crop. Read the band as a starting point to edit, not as a universal constant.

The formula and the plus one

The Row Spacing Calculator works from bed width, bed length, row spacing or row count, and an edge margin. It has two modes. In spacing mode you set the spacing and the calculator finds how many rows fit. In count mode you set the number of rows and the calculator finds the spacing that fits that many rows.

The formula has three parts. First, usable width equals bed width minus 2 times margin. Second, rows equals floor of usable width divided by spacing plus 1. Third, total row length equals rows times bed length. Floor means divide, then drop any fraction, because a part row does not exist in a real bed.

The plus one is easy to miss. The first row sits one margin in from the first edge, and the last row sits one margin in from the far edge. The count is one more than the number of whole spacings that fit in the usable width. Keep metric and imperial separate.

The standard bed with a fixed margin

The standard bed is the page default bed. In metric it is 1.2 m wide and 3 m long, with a fixed margin of 15 cm. In imperial it is 4 ft wide and 10 ft long, with a fixed margin of 6 in.

Metric first. Usable width equals 120 minus 2 times 15, which is 90 cm. At 30 cm spacing, 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. That is the row count for carrots and lettuce on this bed.

Imperial next, on its own figures. Usable width equals 48 minus 2 times 6, which is 36 in. At 12 in spacing, rows equals floor of 36 divided by 12 plus 1, which is 4, and total row length equals 4 times 10, which is 40 ft. That is the row count for carrots and lettuce on this bed.

The count drops from 4 rows to 3 rows at the low end of the larger crop band, and to 2 rows at the middle of the band. After that, wider spacing does not always remove another row.

Row spacing	Metric rows	Metric total row length	Imperial rows	Imperial total row length
30 cm / 12 in	4	12 m	4	40 ft
45 cm / 18 in	3	9 m	3	30 ft
60 cm / 24 in	2	6 m	2	20 ft
75 cm / 30 in	2	6 m	2	20 ft
90 cm / 36 in	2	6 m	2	20 ft

The table above uses the fixed margin rule only. Metric and imperial are rounded equivalents, not exact conversions.

The margin rule changes the count

The page also gives a half spacing margin rule, and it states that half the row spacing is a natural edge margin. The two rules give different answers for the same spacing, so you must always state which rule you used, and you must never mix the two tables.

Work the half spacing rule on the same metric bed, 1.2 m wide and 3 m long. At 30 cm spacing the margin is 15 cm, the usable width is 90 cm, rows equals 4, and total row length is 12 m. That matches the fixed margin result, because half of 30 cm is 15 cm. At 45 cm spacing the margin is 22.5 cm, the usable width is 75 cm, rows equals 2, and total row length is 6 m. Under the fixed margin the same spacing gave 3 rows and 9 m, so the margin alone has removed one row.

At 60 cm spacing the margin is 30 cm, the usable width is 60 cm, rows equals 2, and total row length is 6 m. At 75 cm and at 90 cm spacing, rows equals 1 and total row length is 3 m. Under the fixed margin the same spacings gave 2 rows and 6 m.

Row spacing	Margin	Usable width	Rows	Total row length
30 cm	15 cm	90 cm	4	12 m
45 cm	22.5 cm	75 cm	2	6 m
60 cm	30 cm	60 cm	2	6 m
75 cm	37.5 cm	45 cm	1	3 m
90 cm	45 cm	30 cm	1	3 m

The table above uses the half spacing margin rule only. Metric bed 1.2 m wide and 3 m long.

The single centre row

A result of 1 row is not an error. It is the single centre row case from the page assumptions, where a wide crop needs one row down the centre of the bed. Under the half spacing rule, 75 cm spacing and 90 cm spacing on the 1.2 m bed both give 1 row, with 3 m of total row length.

The spacing formula for a set row count cannot give a spacing for that one row, because rows minus 1 is zero. In count mode the spacing equals usable width divided by rows minus 1, so for 1 row there is no spacing from that formula.

The page allows a margin of 0, and a 1.2 m bed at 30 cm spacing with a margin of 0 gives 5 rows. The page guidance discourages that choice, because plants right at the edge dry out and spill onto paths. A margin must also stay below half the bed width.

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.

The calculator defaults are a 1.2 m bed by 3 m, given as 4 ft by 10 ft, with 30 cm spacing, given as 12 in, 4 rows, and a 15 cm margin, given as 6 in. Change one figure at a time when you test a new plan.

Row direction, raised beds, sowing, and paths

Rows often run north to south, because that direction gives both sides of the row even sun through the day. That is the page FAQ answer, stated as often yes, not as a rule for every garden.

Raised beds do not necessarily need rows. The page FAQ states that many gardeners plant in a grid or offset pattern instead. The Crop Spacing Calculator covers plants per bed from two spacings, while the Plant Spacing Calculator covers a single spacing on a square grid, so do not mix their counts into a row count.

Direct sown rows can be closer than transplant rows.

Paths between beds are not included in the calculation. The calculator works from bed width and bed length only. If you need to plan paths, use the Garden Bed and Path Layout Calculator for bed and path layout. The Plants per Square Foot Calculator covers plants per square foot, and it also counts plants, not rows.

What the calculator does not give

The Row Spacing Calculator gives rows, spacing, and total row length only, from bed width, bed length, row spacing or row count, and an edge margin. It gives no plants per row, no plants per bed, no density, no seeds to sow, no yield figure, and no cost figure.

Frequently asked questions

Q: How far apart should vegetable rows be?
A: 30 cm, given as 12 in, for small crops such as carrots and lettuce, and 45 to 90 cm, given as 18 to 36 in, for larger crops.

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

Q: How many rows fit a 4 ft bed at 12 in spacing?
A: 4 rows, with 40 ft of total row length on a 10 ft bed, using a fixed margin of 6 in.

Q: Why does the margin rule change the row count?
A: The margin sets the usable width. At 45 cm spacing, a fixed 15 cm margin gives 3 rows, while a half spacing margin gives 2 rows.

Q: When does a bed hold only one row?
A: When a wide crop needs a single centre row. With a half spacing margin, 75 cm and 90 cm spacing both give 1 row, with 3 m of total row length.

Q: Does the calculator give plants per bed?
A: No. It gives rows, spacing, and total row length only, with no plants per row, no plants per bed, no density, no seeds, no yield, and no cost.