Vegetable Garden Row Calculator: Rows and Plants

This calculator plans a vegetable bed laid out in straight rows. Enter the bed length and width, the spacing between rows and the spacing between plants in a row; you get the number of rows, the plants per row and the total number of plants.

Formula

Rows = floor(bed width in inches ÷ row spacing) + 1. Plants per row = floor(bed length in inches ÷ plant spacing) + 1. Total = rows × plants per row. The “+ 1” puts the first row and the first plant on the edge of the bed; floor() drops any partial space that is too small for another row or plant.

• l: bed length along the rows, in feet
• w: bed width across the rows, in feet
• rs: distance between rows, in inches
• ps: distance between plants within a row, in inches

Worked Example

A 20 ft × 10 ft bed, rows 30 in apart, plants 12 in apart.

1. Rows = floor(10 × 12 ÷ 30) + 1 = floor(4) + 1 = 5 rows
2. Plants per row = floor(20 × 12 ÷ 12) + 1 = 20 + 1 = 21 plants
3. Total = 5 × 21 = 105 plants

How to use the result

Use the total to buy seedlings or to count seed (buy a little extra seed, since not every seed germinates). Take the spacings from the seed packet or plant tag for the crop you are growing.

Limits and common mistakes

• If you keep a path or a margin at the edges, subtract it from the bed size first.
• Starting the first row a half-spacing in from the edge gives one row fewer; this calculator puts it on the edge.
• Crops planted in blocks or on a staggered grid fit more plants; use the triangular plant spacing calculator for those.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far apart should vegetable rows be?

It depends on the crop and how you will walk or cultivate between rows; seed packets give the figure.

Why add one to the number of rows?

Because a row sits at both ends of the measured width: four gaps of 30 in hold five rows in 10 ft.

Can I use metres?

Convert first: 1 m = 3.2808 ft and 1 in = 2.54 cm.

Does this work for a raised bed?

Yes, enter the inside length and width of the bed.

in l | Bed length (along the rows) | ft | 20 | 0 | 10000
in w | Bed width (across the rows) | ft | 10 | 0 | 10000
in rs | Spacing between rows | in | 30 | 1 | 240
in ps | Spacing between plants in a row | in | 12 | 1 | 240
out tot | Total plants | plants | (floor(round(w * 12 / rs, 6)) + 1) * (floor(round(l * 12 / ps, 6)) + 1) | 0
out rows | Rows | rows | floor(round(w * 12 / rs, 6)) + 1 | 0
out per | Plants per row | plants | floor(round(l * 12 / ps, 6)) + 1 | 0