Spacing Guide For Planting Vegetables

Spacing your vegetables is as important as properly preparing your soil. This guide is a simple solution to keep on hand whether you are planning a spring, summer, or fall vegetable garden. There are three important aspects when putting seeds into the ground.

1. Inches between plants
2. Inches between rows
3. Depth of seeds in inches

It is important to realize how deep you plant the seeds will depend on their size. There are also a few ways to plant seeds into the ground. You can sow them directly into the ground in a single row, or a wide row. Single row planting is the most popular way to plant a garden. Vegetables such as beets, carrots, radishes, spinach, lettuce, and mustard can be planted in a wider row. Wider row vegetables will produce a larger amount of vegetables than single-rowed planting.The other method of planting is an inverted hill. An inverted hill is made by forming a circle and taking out an about an inch of dirt around the outside of the circle. The inverted circle allows water to catch in the shallow depression, and will force the water to feed the plants. This will alleviate the seeds or plants from washing away. Below are seven vegetables that do well in an inverted hill and also their spacing needs.

• Cucumbers - 12 inches apart, 18-24 inches between rows, and seeds a half inch deep.
• Muskmelon - 6 to 12 inches apart, 12 to 18 inches between rows, and seeds one eighth inch deep.
• Pumpkin - 12 to 18 inches apart, 36 to 48 inches between rows, and seeds three to five inches deep.
• Summer Squash - 24 to 36 apart, 18 to 48 inches between rows, and seeds one inch deep.
• Winter Squash - 24 to 48 inches apart, 24 to 100 between rows, and one inch deep.
• Watermelon - 24 to 72 inches apart, 60 to 100 between rows, and one inch deep.

Another option for you to think about, is placing some herbs in with your vegetables. Mingling the herbs around your vegetables not only will add color and texture to vegetable garden, herbs are great in different culinary dishes. Spacing spices in herbs throughout, adds character to a vegetable garden. Most herbs can be planted in single rows or even some in mass planting to fill in some empty spaces. Below is some general information on some of the most popular vegetables people from all over the world plant and spacing them properly.

• Asparagus - 12 to 18 inches apart, 48 to 60 inches between rows, and seeds one to one and a half deep.
• Snap Or Green Beans - Bush beans are two to thee inches apart, 18 to 24 between rows, and seeds one to one and a half deep. Pole beans are 4 to 6 inches apart, 30 to 36 inches between rows, and seeds one to one and a half inches deep.
• Beets - 2 to 3 inches apart, 12 to 18 inches between rows, and seeds are one inch in deep.
• Broccoli - 3 inches apart, 24 to 36 between rows, and seeds a half inch deep.
• Carrots - 2 to 4 inches apart, 12 to 24 inches between rows, and seed one forth inch deep
• Cauliflower - 18 to 24 inches apart, 24 to 36 between rows, and seeds one half inch deep.
• Collards - 12 inches apart, 18 to 24 between rows, and seeds one half inch deep.
• Corn - 2 to 4 inches apart, 12 to 18 inches between rows, and seeds one to one and a half inches deep.
• Eggplant - 18 to 24 inches apart, 24 - 36 inches between rows, and seeds one forth inch deep.
• Horseradish - 24 inches apart, 18 to 24 inches between rows, and seeds one forth inch deep.
• Kale - 8 to 12 inches apart, 18 to 24 inches between rows, and seeds one half inch deep.
• Lettuce - 6 to nine inches apart, 18 to 24 inches between rows, and seeds one eighth inch deep.
• Mustard - 18 to 24 inches apart, 12 to 24 inches between rows, and one inch deep.
• Okra - 6 to 12 inches apart, 12 to 24 inches between rows, and seeds one half inch deep.
• Onion - Sets- 2 to 3 inches apart, 12 to 18 inches between rows, and one to two inches deep. Seeds - 1 to 2 inches apart, 12 to 18 inches between rows, and seeds one forth inch deep.
• Black-Eyed Peas - 2 to 4 inches apart, 18 to 24 inches between rows, and seeds one half inch deep.
• Shelling Peas - 8 to 12 inches apart, 18 to 24 inches between rows, and seeds one half deep.
• Pepper - 6 to 8 inches apart, 24 to 36 between rows, and seeds one inch deep.
• Irish Potato - 12 to 24 inches apart, 24 to 36 inches between rows, and seeds one half inch deep.
• Sweet Potato - 12 to 18 inches apart, 36 to 48 inches between rows, and seeds three to five inches deep.
• Radish - 1 to 6 inches apart, 12 to 18 inches between rows, and seeds one half inch deep.
• Spinach - 2 to 4 inches apart, 12 to 24 inches between rows, and seeds one half inch deep.
• New Zealand Spinach - 12 inches apart, 24 to 36 inches between rows, and seeds one half inch deep.
• Tomato - 18 to 24 inches apart, 24 to 48 inches between rows, and seeds one half in deep.
• Turnips - Greens - 2 to 3 inches apart, 12 to 24 inches between rows, and seeds one half inch deep. Roots - 3 to 4 inches apart, 12 to 24 inches between rows, and one half inch deep.

This guide is a good reference for you when spacing and planning your vegetable garden. Another option is to think about when spacing vegetables, is consider adding some annual or perennial flowers throughout the vegetable garden. Feel free to bookmark this page or use this guide whenever you are wanting to know spacing and also planning your spring, summer, or fall garden.