Seed Spacing & Plant Calculator
Enter your bed size and plant spacing to see exactly how many plants fit, with a to-scale visual grid and a seed-to-buy estimate.
Your bed at a glance
A to-scale preview of your planting grid.
About this seed spacing calculator
Enter your garden bed's length and width, then either pick a crop from the built-in list of 35 common vegetables, herbs, and flowers — which fills in that crop's typical spacing automatically — or enter your own custom spacing directly. The calculator works out how many plants fit across and down the bed, the total count, plants per square foot or square meter, and roughly how many seeds to buy, padded slightly above the exact plant count to account for germination that doesn't always hit 100%.
A to-scale visual grid shows the planting layout as a simple dot pattern, so you can see the actual density of the planting rather than just reading a number. For very large beds where drawing every individual dot would be impractical, the tool shows a simplified density pattern instead while keeping the plant count itself fully accurate.
Spacing recommendations for each crop are general guidelines drawn from common gardening references, not a rulebook — actual spacing varies by variety and by how you train the plant, so a staked tomato needs different room than a sprawling one, and packet directions for your specific variety should take priority when they differ from the built-in default.
Switch between feet/inches and meters/centimeters at any time; your bed size and spacing convert automatically. Your entries are saved locally in your browser so they're still there next time you visit.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the crop spacing numbers come from?
They're general guidelines drawn from common gardening references. Actual spacing varies by variety and by how you train the plant (staked vs. sprawling, for example), so check your specific seed packet when it differs.
What does the "seeds to buy" number account for?
It pads the exact plant count slightly upward, since germination rates don't hit 100% and a few seeds typically don't come up. Treat it as a reasonable buying estimate, not an exact requirement.
Why doesn't the visual show every dot for a big bed?
Drawing thousands of individual dots isn't practical or useful to look at. For very large beds, the tool shows a simplified density pattern instead, while the plant count itself stays fully accurate.
Can I enter a custom spacing instead of picking a crop?
Yes, choose "Custom spacing" from the crop list, or just type directly into the spacing field — picking a crop only pre-fills a typical value, it doesn't lock the field.
Is my bed data saved or uploaded anywhere?
It's saved locally in your browser for convenience, so it's there next time you visit, but nothing is uploaded anywhere.