Maximize your giving garden’s yield and efficiency by understanding the pros and cons of square foot, block, and row gardening methods
Guest Contributor: Cassey Anderson, Horticulture Agent, Colorado State University Extension
Planning your vegetable garden layout is key to maximizing space, improving yields, and reducing pests and disease. Learn the differences between square foot, block, and row gardening to find the best method for your garden's needs this season.
February – the pre-planning month for your vegetable garden. This is when the seeds you may have ordered in January begin to come in and sometimes, you’re hit with the heavy reality that you ordered way too many varieties for the space you have. Unfortunately, I don’t have a solution for too many varieties and too little space, but I do have options for planning the space that you do have! This month let’s dive into the different options you have for garden layout and how it can impact yield, pests, disease, and weeds.
Traditional row gardening
Planting in traditional rows can be a simple way to plan out your vegetable garden. Plants have a short space in between each other in the row, but a wide space in between varieties or rows. This allows for cultivation of the soil in between rows to reduce weeds. It also gives a good location for side-dressing fertilizer or transplanting new crops as the existing crops mature or are harvested. Many garden plans feature traditional row garden layouts so if you like to follow a guide or a plan, this may be one of the simplest methods.
The downsides to traditional rows can include increased weeds if you don’t stay on top of the rows, less efficient use of space because of the large spacing required, potential for soil compaction if you must enter the row to weed, harvest or otherwise maintain the space, they may also be less efficient with water use if you can’t water precisely.
Block gardening
Block gardening is a response to many of the issues found in traditional row gardening. In block gardens you eliminate the wide in-between row spaces and plant with centers depending on the mature size of the crop. Onions or carrots may be planted with 3” from center of the plant to the center of the next plant. Potatoes or peppers may need to be planted with 15” between the centers of each plant. Block style planting often reduces the occurrence of weed growth as the entire garden space is filled as the plant grows (early weeding is of course always important).
Block style is a very good approach for small-space backyard garden spaces that want to increase production. If you plan your block rows to be no more than 3-4” wide you also eliminate the compaction issue found in traditional row gardening as you can reach into the center of your bed for maintenance tasks without having to step into the space. With a block style garden plan, you will need to ensure you have uniform irrigation coverage, and that you fertilize uniformly and regularly to ensure good growth across the entire block.
Do note, there is a limit to how closely you can plant your crops. If you plant too tightly together you run the risk of reducing yield and increasing disease pressures, so be sure to follow seeding guidelines such as those found in the CMG Garden Note 713.
Square foot gardening
This is a somewhat modified version of block planting that is simplified a bit. In square foot gardening the garden is divided into 12”x12” blocks. In these blocks you can plant a defined number of your given crop. For example you can plant one pepper or broccoli, or 16 onions in one square foot. It can be wise to plan any trailing or climbing vegetables along one side of your garden bed so you’re not trellising intermittently throughout the bed.
Square foot gardening has most of the same benefits of block gardening. Most square foot gardens delineate space with string or wood “dividers” so you can visually denote each square while planning and planting. If you have a very small space to garden and want to maximize your production, this can be a good approach.
However, there are some drawbacks. Some crops, tomatoes or squash, may require more than one square foot to grow successfully. Other times, if you have a lot of crops in a small space, they may have differing nutrient or water needs. These differing needs can be hard to address when you’re working in a relatively small space.
Vertical gardening
Vertical gardening isn’t so much a plan, as a method to augment almost any of the plans above. By growing upwards, you can reduce your footprint on the ground. Trellises can be as complex or as simple as you want to make them. I’ve seen good trellises based on t-posts and string, and very strong permanent structures made from cattle fencing and wood. Be sure you use material that can be cleaned easily in between seasons, and preferably make a trellis that you can move with your crops year after year.
Crop rotation
A note on crop rotation, you have probably heard about how invaluable it is to rotate your crops to reduce pest pressures. This can help if your problems are soil-borne diseases, and you can rotate your crops families out for at least 5 years. However, if you only have 3 beds, crop rotation is simply not possible. If you see substantial disease pressures develop you can take a break from that plant family or purchase resistant varieties. If your crop pressure comes from insects, it is unlikely that rotation will help you as the insects can easily move from bed to bed as you change crop locations.
🌱 For more on garden layouts, check out our companion post with recommended spacing here.
🌱 Not sure what to plant? Our handy reference guide "What to Grow to Give" can help!
As always if you have additional questions, please reach out to your local county extension office. Happy planning!
Gardening in Colorado? Check out Grow & Give www.growandgivecolorado.org and in particular our Colorado Vegetable Guide https://growgive.extension.colostate.edu/colorado-vegetable-guide/ for more crop information on all of the above plants.
Your garden can make a difference!
Donating your extra homegrown produce for hunger relief is a meaningful way to give back in your community. The free Fresh Food Connect mobile app connects you to a local hunger relief program, then manages and tracks your donations of homegrown produce throughout the season. 🍅Download the app to get started!🍅