Plant Spacing

Plant spacing is the distance you should plant individual plants. Each plant has specific spacing requirements depending on their needs and growth habits. When planting you should keep in mind the appropriate spacing needed to prevent overcrowding which can lead to the decline of your plants. Properly spaces plants are able to grow to their full potential which will increase your yield.

Follow recommended spacing guidelines to prevent overcrowding and ensure each plant gets enough nutrients and sunlight.

Here are some general guidelines for common vegetables:

Tomatoes: Plant 24-36 inches apart.

Lettuce: Plant 6-12 inches apart.

Carrots: Thin seedlings to 2-3 inches apart.

Peppers: Plant 18-24 inches apart.

Zucchini: Plant 36-48 inches apart.

Annual flowers, perennials, shrubs, and trees will require different spacing than vegetable plants. It is recommended to follow the guidelines the individual plants require.

Plant Spacing Affects on Plant Growth:

Air Circulation: Air flow is important to keep plants healthy and prevent diseases from spreading. Airflow will also help keep plant foliage dry which helps prevent diseases.

Pest and Disease Management: Overcrowded plants are ideal for pests to thrive. This encourages them to move freely from one plant to another. This is the same with plant diseases and pathogens. Offering adequate plant spacing will help prevent the spread of pests and disease.

Maintenance: Being able to easily access individual plants will help a lot when it comes to garden maintenance. When growing vegetables you should be able to access their fruits from almost all angles. Weeding can be easier if you space your vegetable plants out, you will be able to remove the weeds without damaging your plants.

Access to Resources: Individual plants each require enough sunlight, water, and nutrients. When plants are overcrowded they compete for these resources which leads to less produce and stunted growth or death. Giving plants enough space also helps with their root development. When plants are too close together their roots might compete for resources and space.

Planting Depth

Planting depth is how deep in the soil you plant your seeds or plants. Each plant grows slightly different and it is important to cater to their needs. Be sure to read the seed packets to find out how deep you should be planting the seeds. Planting depth will affect seed germination, root development, and the plants health.

Seeds:

Follow the seed packet instructions for planting depth, but as a general rule:

Small seeds (e.g., lettuce, carrots): Plant 1/4 inch deep.

Medium seeds (e.g., beans, peas): Plant 1 inch deep.

Large seeds (e.g., corn, squash): Plant 1-2 inches deep

Transplants:

As we know, each plant has unique needs. Before transplanting, it’s important to understand their specific requirements.

As a general rule, when planting young plants, they should be placed at the same depth they were growing in their nursery pots. However, this may vary if the plants lacked sufficient soil in their pots or other factors apply. Planting too deeply can expose the stem to rot, which can hinder growth and, in many cases, lead to the plant's death.

That said, some plants benefit from being planted deeper than the depth of their nursery pots. For example, tomatoes can develop additional roots along any part of the stem in contact with the soil. Some gardeners intentionally plant tomatoes deeper to help stabilize the plant and encourage stronger root systems.

Bulbs and Tubers:

The best rule of thumb for planting bulbs is to plant them at a depth of 2-3 times the bulbs height. Bulb planting depth will vary based on the size of the bulbs. Some bulbs such as Daffodils will actually pull themselves deeper into the soil if they are not planted deep enough!

Succession Planting

Succession planting is an excellent practice to keep your garden productive throughout the growing season. There are a few different ways you can go about succession planting but it all boils down to reducing the wasted space in your garden and increasing the produce you harvest.

Succession planting is often done by planting smaller batches of vegetables in intervals to ensure a continuous harvest throughout the growing season. Some vegetables prefer the slightly cool temperatures of spring and fall. These plants can be planted early spring and then again mid to late summer for a fall harvest. We go into more detail about some of the succession planting practices below.

Succession Planting Practices:

Staggered Planting: Plant the same crop multiple times throughout the season to allow for continuous harvest. Every 1-3 weeks continue to plant new seeds. Lettuce is a great crop for this as it does tend to bolt and you want to harvest the whole head of lettuce. It also grows fast so if you keep planting new seeds you can eat fresh lettuce all season.

Intercropping: This is very similar to companion planting and we go into a lot more detail about this here What is Companion Planting? For intercropping you will grow fast growing crops alongside slower crops. As the slower growing crops eventually need more space you will have already harvested the fast crops. This maximizes your gardens space and leaves no area bare. Arugula, radish, and lettuce grow fairly fast and can be planted with their ideal companion plants that might grow slowly. Try planting radish with brussels sprouts and harvest your radish before the brussels get too big. And don’t forget your herbs! Cilantro and Dill are well-suited for succession planting because they tend to bolt (flower and set seed) quickly in warm weather.

Different Cultivars of Same Crop: You can plant the same crop type with different maturity/harvest dates to have a continuous harvest. This can be done with any crop that has cultivars with early, mid, and late season harvest times. Beans, potatoes, corn, and carrots are some of the few vegetables types gardeners grow this way.

Cover Crops: Cover cropping can be considered another type of succession planting but it has a different goal than all the other practices we went over. Cover crops won’t produce a high yield throughout the growing season but it will improve the quality of the soil. We go into more detail about cover crops here Cover Crops.

Plants for Succession Planting:

The best plants you can use for succession planting are the fast growers. Here is a list we put together with some vegetables that grow quickly or prefer the early and late season.

Arugula
Many lettuce varieties
Spinach
Bok Choy
Tatsoi
Radish
Baby carrots
Beets
Turnips
Bush Beans
Green Onions (Scallions)

Plant Spacing, Planting Depth & Succession Planting