Diggers Vegie Squares Chart: Plan Your Bed Spacing
By The Diggers Club - Australia's No.1 Gardening Club | Published: 2026-11-04
Category: Guide pratiche
Use the Diggers Vegie Squares Chart to map your vegetable bed layout, space seedlings correctly, and avoid the most common square foot gardening spacing mistakes.
Quick answer
Use the Diggers Vegie Squares Chart to divide each bed into a grid, then plant each square according to the spacing printed for that crop. This simple system lets you maximise harvests in pots, raised planters, or garden beds, even in tiny spaces.
Why square spacing beats guesswork
Traditional row spacing leaves large gaps that invite weeds and waste water. Square foot gardening spacing tightens the layout so every square centimetre works, but only if you follow the crop-specific numbers rather than eyeballing it. A vegetable spacing chart for Australia accounts for local growing conditions and gives you a repeatable rule for each crop.
When the chart is not enough
The Diggers Vegie Squares Chart is a planning tool, not a live database. It does not account for your soil fertility, climate, or variety-specific vigour. If a crop is labelled for tight spacing but your seedlings are already leggy or your soil is poor, thin more generously than the chart suggests. Treat the chart as a starting point, then adjust after one season of observation.
How to plan your bed with the Vegie Squares Chart
- Measure your bed and mark a grid: Measure the internal dimensions of your bed, pot, or raised planter. Use stakes and string to divide the area into squares of the size recommended on the chart (typically 30 cm). Checkpoint: measure inside the bed edges, not the outside, so you don't overshoot your planting area.
- Choose crops that suit your space: List the vegetables you actually want to eat, then check the chart for each crop's spacing. Large crops like tomatoes or zucchini need more than one square; small crops like radishes or lettuce fit many per square. Common mistake: planting a large crop in a single square and then crowding out its neighbours.
- Read the spacing for each crop: Find the crop on the chart and note how many plants per square it allows. For example, if the chart says 9 per square, you will plant a 3x3 grid within that square. Write the number on a label for each crop. Checkpoint: double-check that you are reading the per-square number, not the per-row spacing from a seed packet.
- Mark planting positions before you dig: Use a dibber or your finger to make shallow holes at the correct spacing inside each square. Place seedlings or seeds at each mark, then firm them in. This prevents the temptation to squeeze in extras. Common mistake: spacing by eye and ending up with uneven gaps that waste space or crowd plants.
- Label each square with crop and date: Write the crop name and planting date on a plant label or on the chart itself (if you keep a garden diary). This helps you rotate crops and track what worked. Checkpoint: note the variety too, because vigour can vary between cultivars.
- Thin or harvest as crops grow: If seedlings come up thicker than the chart allows, thin them to the correct spacing when they are small. For leafy crops, harvest outer leaves rather than pulling whole plants, so the square stays productive. Common mistake: delaying thinning, which stunts all the plants in the square.
Product facts
- Diggers Vegie Squares Chart: Printed double-sided in Australia on recyclable plastic, it's water resistant and designed to cope with outdoor use. You can keep it in the garden while you plant without worrying about rain or muddy hands.
Diggers Vegie Squares Chart
