Properly spacing your lawn plants and rows prevents your plants from competing for nutrients and water. The ideal spacing to use on your garden is based on the size of the lawn and the varieties of plants you’re growing. Each species of vegetable has a minimum quantity of space it must sustain healthful growth. Although you can develop your vegetables at closer intervals, supplying adequate spacing between the plants allows them to develop larger and reduces their vulnerability to competition and disease.
Row Spacing
The ideal spacing between the rows in your garden provides ample space for the plants to develop and also for you to work in. In most cases it is a fantastic idea to leave at least 18 to 36 inches of space between each row of plants. Large garden plants, such as cucumbers, melons and pumpkins, have sprawling growth habits that develop best with rows spaced 60 to 72 inches apart. Spacing your rows slightly farther apart than the minimal spacing for the plants you’re using can provide you with a more comfortable working area, and also the increased growing area for your plants encourages larger, healthier plants. Leaving breaks 2 feet in the middle of long rows supplies simple access to the middle of large gardens.
Garden Layouts
The most frequent garden layout is a series of parallel rows spaced at regular periods that offer space for your plants to distribute and room to work in. Gardeners that are looking to acquire the most of a limited space can use a block layout. The block layout employs exactly the identical spacing between rows and plants to create a grid of plants. Although this type of row spacing lets you plant vegetables, the tighter spacing of the plants may make them more susceptible to drought and competition from weeds. This type of spacing is most effective in fertile soils with good drainage where competition from weeds is minimal.
Small Plants
Smaller garden vegetable plants, such as beets, carrots, mustard plants, onions, pea plants and radishes, require approximately a few inches of space between plants in a row. Somewhat bigger plants, such as lima beans, bush beans, leeks, leaf lettuce, rutabaga, spinach and turnip plants, develop best with roughly four to six inches of space between the middle of each plant. Pole beans require roughly six to 12 inches of spacing, and mustard, Swiss chard and kohlrabi perform best with a spacing of six to nine inches between plants. Heads of lettuce, potato plants and Oriental cabbage need approximately 10 to 12 inches of space between each plant.
Large Plants
Plants with broad foliage or root processes, such as broccoli, cucumber and okra, require between 12 and 18 inches of space between each plant. Providing 15 to 18 inches of space between your asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, endive, cauliflower, corn and kale plants helps decrease competition and also promotes healthy growth. Large plants that need significant quantities of water require more room to develop. Supplying a spacing of 18 to 24 ins for your eggplant, summer squash and tomatoes ensures they can find the water they require. Winter squash, pumpkins and watermelons perform best when they are planted with a minimum spacing of 36 inches.