Plant spacing calculator: how many plants do I need for my bed and spacing?
115 plants
triangular, rows 10.4 in apart · 100 in a square grid · 50,299 per acre · for a 10 × 10 ft bed at 12 in
Run your own numbers
Enter it the way you measured it: 4.5, 4 1/2,
3/8 or 10' 6".
115 plants
triangular, rows 10.4 in apart · 100 in a square grid · 50,299 per acre
Source: UGA Cooperative Extension Bulletin 931, Conversion Tables, Formulas, and Suggested Guidelines for Horticultural Use (reviewed November 2024), Tables 31 and 33, read October 23, 2026. Data sheet (PDF)
A 10 by 10 ft bed planted 12 inches apart takes 115 plants in a triangular pattern and 100 in a square grid, by UGA Extension Bulletin 931: triangular rows sit 10.4 inches apart.
A worked example
A 23 by 4 1/2 ft border, plants 9 inches apart in rows 15 inches apart needs 110 plants. 103.5 square feet ÷ (9 × 15 ÷ 144) square feet per plant is 110.4, so 110; the same rows hold 46,464 plants per acre.
How many more plants does triangular spacing take?
About 15% more at the same spacing: 115 plants per 100 square feet at 12 inches against 100 in a square grid, by Table 31 of UGA Bulletin 931, because the rows close up to 0.866 × the spacing.
How many trees per acre at a given spacing?
43,560 square feet ÷ (spacing in the row × spacing between rows, in feet): 1,210 trees at 6 by 6 ft and 436 at 10 by 10 ft, by Penn State Extension EE0127.
What else it is called
Triangular spacing is also called staggered, offset or equilateral triangle spacing; square spacing is grid or row planting. Searched as a plant spacing calculator, tree spacing calculator or how many plants per square foot.
Plants per 100 square feet
| Spacing | Square, per 100 sq ft | Triangular, per 100 sq ft | Row spacing, triangular |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 in | 900 | 1,039 | 3.46 in |
| 6 in | 400 | 462 | 5.2 in |
| 8 in | 225 | 260 | 6.93 in |
| 10 in | 144 | 166 | 8.66 in |
| 12 in | 100 | 115 | 10.4 in |
| 14 in | 73 | 85 | 12.1 in |
| 18 in | 44 | 51 | 15.6 in |
| 24 in | 25 | 29 | 20.8 in |
Plants per 100 square feet, rounded, as in Table 31 of UGA Extension Bulletin 931; it prints 74 for 14 inch square spacing, 73.5 before rounding. Triangular rows sit 0.866 × the spacing apart, which fits about 15% more plants than a square grid at the same spacing.
Where the numbers come from
- Plants per 100 square feet: UGA Cooperative Extension Bulletin 931 (reviewed November 2024), Table 31: square spacing 4 in 900, 6 in 400, 8 in 225, 10 in 144, 12 in 100, 14 in 74; triangular 1,039, 462, 260, 166, 115 and 85, with rows 3.46 to 12.12 inches apart, which is 0.866 × the spacing (the bulletin prints «0.886», a typo its own rows do not follow). Per acre, page 32: 43,560 ÷ (distance in the row × distance between rows). Read October 23, 2026. UGA Bulletin 931 (PDF)
- Trees per acre: Penn State Extension, Forest Landowners Guide to Tree Planting Success (EE0127), Table 2: 6 by 6 ft 1,210 trees, 10 by 10 ft 436, by the same 43,560 rule. Read October 23, 2026. Penn State EE0127 (PDF)
- The rest is geometry: square area per plant = spacing × row spacing; triangular = spacing² × √3 ÷ 2; plants = bed area ÷ area per plant, rounded.
The spacing is yours: the plant tag or the grower gives it per plant. The count is for the bed area as entered, with plants at the spacing from the edge as well as from each other.
By Javier Miralles · Last updated . How this site is made.
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