Plant Spacing & Bed Layout Calculator
ANA›Life Services Authority›National Calculator Authority›Plant Spacing & Bed Layout Calculator
.calc-container { max-width: 640px; margin: 2rem 0; padding: 1.5rem; background: #fff; border: 1px solid #ddd; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.06); font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, sans-serif; } .calc-container h3 { font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.15rem; color: #1a1a1a; margin-bottom: 1rem; padding-bottom: 0.5rem; border-bottom: 2px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-row { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.75rem; margin-bottom: 0.75rem; flex-wrap: wrap; } .calc-row label { min-width: 160px; font-size: 0.9rem; color: #333; font-weight: 500; } .calc-row input[type="number"], .calc-row select { flex: 1; min-width: 120px; max-width: 200px; padding: 0.5rem 0.6rem; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.9rem; font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; color: #1a1a1a; background: #fafaf8; } .calc-row input:focus, .calc-row select:focus { outline: none; border-color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(26,74,138,0.12); } .calc-row .unit { font-size: 0.82rem; color: #888; min-width: 30px; } .calc-btn { display: inline-block; margin-top: 0.5rem; padding: 0.55rem 1.5rem; background: var(--ac, #3d5a80); color: #fff; border: none; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.9rem; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer; font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; } .calc-btn:hover { opacity: 0.9; } .calc-result { margin-top: 1.25rem; padding: 1rem 1.25rem; background: #f0f6fc; border-left: 3px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); border-radius: 0 6px 6px 0; display: none; } .calc-result.visible { display: block; } .calc-result-label { font-size: 0.78rem; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.06em; color: #666; margin-bottom: 0.25rem; } .calc-result-value { font-size: 1.6rem; font-weight: 700; color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-result-detail { font-size: 0.85rem; color: #555; margin-top: 0.5rem; line-height: 1.5; } .calc-note { margin-top: 1rem; font-size: 0.8rem; color: #888; font-style: italic; } .calc-grid { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 0.75rem; margin-top: 0.75rem; } .calc-grid-item { padding: 0.6rem 0.8rem; background: #f8f9fa; border-radius: 4px; border: 1px solid #eee; } .calc-grid-item .label { font-size: 0.75rem; color: #888; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.04em; } .calc-grid-item .value { font-size: 1.1rem; font-weight: 600; color: #1a1a1a; } @media (max-width: 720px) { .calc-row { flex-direction: column; align-items: flex-start; gap: 0.3rem; } .calc-row label { min-width: auto; } .calc-row input[type="number"], .calc-row select { max-width: 100%; width: 100%; } .calc-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; } } .calc-chart { margin: 1rem 0; text-align: center; } .calc-chart svg { max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .calc-chart-legend { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: center; gap: 0.6rem 1.2rem; margin-top: 0.6rem; font-size: 0.8rem; color: #555; } .calc-chart-legend span { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.3rem; } .calc-chart-legend i { display: inline-block; width: 10px; height: 10px; border-radius: 2px; font-style: normal; } .calc-related { max-width: 640px; margin: 2rem 0 1rem; padding: 1.25rem 1.5rem; background: #f8f9fa; border: 1px solid #e8e8e8; border-radius: 8px; } .calc-related h3 { font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1rem; color: #1a1a1a; margin: 0 0 0.75rem; padding-bottom: 0.4rem; border-bottom: 2px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-related-list { list-style: none; padding: 0; margin: 0 0 0.75rem; display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 0.4rem 1.5rem; } .calc-related-list li a { font-size: 0.88rem; color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); text-decoration: none; } .calc-related-list li a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } .calc-browse-all { margin: 0.5rem 0 0; font-size: 0.9rem; font-weight: 600; } .calc-browse-all a { color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); text-decoration: none; } .calc-browse-all a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } @media (max-width: 720px) { .calc-related-list { grid-template-columns: 1fr; } }
Plant Spacing & Bed Layout Calculator
Calculate how many plants fit in a garden bed and visualize the layout based on bed dimensions and plant spacing requirements.
Bed Length (ft)
Bed Width (ft)
Plant Spacing (inches)
Planting Pattern
Grid (Square) Offset / Triangular (Hexagonal)
Border / Edge Gap (inches)
Calculate
function plaCalc() { var bedLength = parseFloat(document.getElementById('pla_bed_length').value); var bedWidth = parseFloat(document.getElementById('pla_bed_width').value); var spacing = parseFloat(document.getElementById('pla_spacing').value); var pattern = document.getElementById('pla_pattern').value; var border = parseFloat(document.getElementById('pla_border').value); var resultDiv = document.getElementById('pla_result');
// --- Validation --- if (isNaN(bedLength) || bedLength ⚠ Please enter a valid Bed Length greater than 0.'; return; } if (isNaN(bedWidth) || bedWidth ⚠ Please enter a valid Bed Width greater than 0.'; return; } if (isNaN(spacing) || spacing ⚠ Please enter a valid Plant Spacing greater than 0.'; return; } if (isNaN(border) || border ⚠ Border gap cannot be negative.'; return; }
// Convert everything to inches var bedLengthIn = bedLength * 12; var bedWidthIn = bedWidth * 12; var spacingIn = spacing; var borderIn = border;
// Usable area after border var usableLengthIn = bedLengthIn - 2 * borderIn; var usableWidthIn = bedWidthIn - 2 * borderIn;
if (usableLengthIn ⚠ Border gap is too large for the given bed dimensions. Reduce the border or increase bed size.'; return; }
var plantCount = 0; var rows = 0; var cols = 0; var rowSpacingIn, colSpacingIn;
if (pattern === 'grid') { // Grid pattern: plants spaced equally in rows and columns // cols along length, rows along width cols = Math.floor(usableLengthIn / spacingIn) + 1; rows = Math.floor(usableWidthIn / spacingIn) + 1; plantCount = cols * rows; rowSpacingIn = spacingIn; colSpacingIn = spacingIn; } else { // Offset / Triangular (Hexagonal) pattern // Row spacing = spacing * sin(60°) = spacing * sqrt(3)/2 // Odd rows are offset by spacing/2 along the length axis rowSpacingIn = spacingIn * Math.sqrt(3) / 2; // vertical row-to-row distance colSpacingIn = spacingIn;
rows = Math.floor(usableWidthIn / rowSpacingIn) + 1; plantCount = 0; for (var r = 0; r 0 ? cols - 1 : 0) + ' (odd rows, offset)';
resultDiv.style.display = 'block'; resultDiv.innerHTML = '### Results ' + '' + 'Total Plants' + '' + plantCount + ' plants' + 'Planting Pattern' + '' + (pattern === 'grid' ? 'Grid (Square)' : 'Offset / Triangular') + '' + 'Bed Dimensions' + '' + bedLength + ' ft × ' + bedWidth + ' ft' + 'Total Bed Area' + '' + bedAreaSqFt.toFixed(2) + ' sq ft' + 'Usable Planting Area' + '' + usableAreaSqFt.toFixed(2) + ' sq ft' + 'Plant Spacing' + '' + spacingIn + ' in (' + (spacingIn/12).toFixed(2) + ' ft)' + 'Border / Edge Gap' + '' + borderIn + ' in' + 'Number of Rows' + '' + rowsDisplay + '' + 'Plants per Row' + '' + colsDisplay + '' + 'Area per Plant' + '' + sqFtPerPlant.toFixed(3) + ' sq ft' + 'Packing Efficiency' + '' + efficiency.toFixed(2) + '%' + ''; }
#### Formulas Used
Usable Dimensions:
Usable Length = Bed Length − 2 × Border Gap
Usable Width = Bed Width − 2 × Border Gap
Grid (Square) Pattern:
Columns = ⌊Usable Length / Spacing⌋ + 1
Rows = ⌊Usable Width / Spacing⌋ + 1
Total Plants = Rows × Columns
Offset / Triangular (Hexagonal) Pattern:
Row Spacing = Plant Spacing × √3 / 2 ≈ 0.866 × Plant Spacing
Number of Rows = ⌊Usable Width / Row Spacing⌋ + 1
Even rows: Plants = ⌊Usable Length / Spacing⌋ + 1
Odd rows: Plants = ⌊(Usable Length − Spacing/2) / Spacing⌋ + 1 (offset by half spacing)
Total Plants = Sum of plants across all rows
Packing Efficiency:
Grid: π/4 ≈ 78.54% | Hexagonal: π/(2√3) ≈ 90.69%
#### Assumptions & References
- Reference: Bartholomew, M. (2013). All New Square Foot Gardening. Cool Springs Press.
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