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Square Foot Gardening for Beginners: Grid, Spacing Chart and a 4×4 Plan
The grid method that removes spacing guesswork; plants-per-square chart for 30 crops.
Updated 2026-09-10
The idea
Divide the bed into 1×1 ft squares with string or thin lath. Each square holds a set number of plants based on spacing. No rows, no wasted paths, far less thinning.
Plants per square
- 1 per square: tomato, pepper, eggplant, broccoli, cabbage, kale, zucchini (give it 2 squares), cucumber on a trellis
- 4 per square: lettuce, chard, basil, parsley, marigold, strawberries
- 9 per square: bush beans, spinach, beets, turnips, peas (on a trellis)
- 16 per square: carrots, radishes, scallions, onions from sets
Soil mix (the classic)
One third compost (blend several kinds), one third peat or coir, one third coarse vermiculite. It is expensive to fill a deep bed this way; use it for the top 6 in over a cheaper base.
4×4 starter plan
North row: tomato, cucumber (trellis), pepper, basil. Second row: 4 lettuce, 4 chard, 9 beans, 9 spinach. Third row: 16 carrots, 16 radishes, 4 parsley, 9 beets. South row: 16 scallions, 4 marigolds, 4 strawberries, 9 peas on the fence.
Succession
When a square is harvested, replant it the same week: radishes → beans → lettuce → garlic across one season. Use the planting calendar for the dates.
What I'd buy first
Vego Garden 17" Tall 9-in-1 Modular Metal Raised Bed
Modular galvanized bed, 17 in tall (deep enough for root crops), 9 layouts from one kit. The bed I'd start with if I only bought one.
Check price via Vego GardenBotanical Interests Beginner Vegetable Seed Collection
Beginner-proof varieties (bush beans, zucchini, lettuce, radish, cherry tomato) with the best planting instructions on the packet.
Check price via Botanical Interests
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