Guide
How Far Apart to Plant Broccoli (Rows + Raised Bed)
Space broccoli 18 inches apart in rows 24 to 36 inches apart, or 1 plant per square foot in a raised bed. Spacing table, layouts, and a calculator.
The short answer
Space broccoli plants 18 inches apart in rows 24 to 36 inches apart. In a raised bed or square-foot garden, give each plant a full square foot (1 per square), or stagger them on an 18-inch triangular grid to fit a few more. That spacing lets heads size up and keeps air moving between plants.
Try it — Plant Spacing Calculator
Full calculatorExtra to cover losses (10% is typical).
You can plant
32plants
- Per row
- 8
- Rows
- 4
- Buy (incl. spare)
- 36 plants
Why broccoli spacing is different from other brassicas
Broccoli isn't a one-and-done crop. You cut the main head, and then most plants push out smaller side shoots for weeks after. That second harvest is the reason broccoli spacing gets its own rules, separate from a single-head crop like cabbage spacing or cauliflower.
Crowd a broccoli plant and it spends everything it has on a small main head. There's nothing left for side shoots. Give it 18 inches and it can grow a full-size head, then keep feeding you smaller florets through the rest of the season.
That's the number to plant around: 18 inches in-row, 24 to 36 inches between rows, or 1 plant per square foot in a raised bed.
The core numbers, three ways
The spacing doesn't change based on how you garden. Only the way you count it changes.
In rows, set broccoli 18 inches apart down the row, with 24 to 36 inches between rows. In a raised bed, skip the row gap and plant on a grid instead, at 1 broccoli per square foot. Same density, different math.
US extension ranges back this up. NC State Extension lists 8 to 24 inches in-row depending on the variety, and University of Maryland Extension puts it at 16 to 24 inches with rows 24 to 30 inches apart. Utah State University Extension recommends 12 to 18 inches in-row with 2 to 3 feet between rows. Eighteen inches sits in the middle of all three, which is why it's the site default. The calculator lets you nudge it either way.
| Method | Spacing | Plants per area |
|---|---|---|
| Rows (in-ground) | 18″ in-row, 24–36″ between rows | About 6 to 7 per 10 ft of row |
| Square-foot grid | 18″ on a grid | 1 per square foot |
| Triangular (offset) | 18″ staggered | About 15% more than square |
The in-row inch and the per-square count describe the same density. For the full crop-by-crop view, the plant spacing chart lays out in-row inches and square-foot counts side by side.
Early varieties vs. big-head varieties
Not every broccoli variety wants the same spacing. Fast, small-headed types can sit closer than the big main-crop varieties.
University of Georgia Extension recommends 8 to 10 inches in-row for compact varieties grown for roughly 8-ounce heads, with 30 to 36 inches between rows. That's a tighter, faster crop meant to be picked all at once.
For the classic large-head varieties most home gardeners grow, extension guidance widens out to 12 to 18 inches in-row, per Utah State University Extension, or up to 24 inches per NC State Extension for the biggest cultivars. Check your seed packet for the variety's mature head size, then match it to the tighter or wider end of the range.
Pro tip
If the packet just says "broccoli" with no variety detail, plant at 18 inches. It's the safe middle ground for both a decent main head and a real side-shoot harvest after.
Spacing, main heads, and side shoots
Spacing doesn't just set head size. It sets whether you get a second harvest at all.
Utah State University Extension found that spacing as tight as 1 foot by 1 foot reduces main head size and inhibits side-shoot development. With standard spacing, wider water and fertilizer support both a good main head and side shoots reaching 3 to 6 inches long.
University of Illinois Extension puts a number on it: at 18 to 24 inches, expect a main head around 4 to 6 inches across, with side shoots running smaller, closer to 1 to 2 inches. So the trade isn't just head-versus-crowd. It's main head size versus how many weeks of side shoots you get after.
Variety matters here too. Many older broccoli cultivars throw lots of side shoots. A lot of newer cultivars are bred to skip them, putting everything into one big head instead. If a long harvest window matters more to you than one big head, look for an heirloom or older open-pollinated variety and give it the full 18 inches or more.
Square vs triangular layout in a raised bed
A raised bed gives you a choice most row gardeners never think about: how to stagger the plants.
Take a 4 ft by 8 ft bed and broccoli at 18 inches:
- Square spacing: 10 plants (5 down the 8-foot length, 2 across the 4-foot width).
- Triangular packing: 9 plants. The staggered rows give up one plant to the short edges.
Pro tip
Square spacing wastes the diagonal. Triangular (offset) spacing staggers every other row, so each plant nests into the gap between two plants in front of it. That fits about 15% more plants in a large bed, per Michigan State University Extension. The gain grows with bed size. In a small bed the offset rows lose plants to the edges, so the calculator shows the real count for your dimensions.
Square-foot gardening counts 1 broccoli per square, which pencils out to 32 plants in a 4 by 8 bed. That's too tight for full-size heads with any side-shoot harvest after. Treat the per-square count as a starting point, not a rule, for a crop this size.
Note
A 2020 USDA Agricultural Research Service study modeling broccoli under future climate conditions tested field densities of 5.4, 7.2, and 10.8 plants per square meter. Those are commercial field-trial densities, not a home-garden recommendation, but for reference: 5.4 plants/m² works out close to the site's 18-inch, 1-per-square-foot spacing, while the two denser settings pack plants tighter than any extension source above recommends for home gardens.
Why the gap matters for broccoli specifically
Broccoli leaves are big and broad. They hold onto moisture longer than a lot of other crops, which is part of why spacing matters so much here.
Three things the gap buys you:
- A full-size main head. Each plant needs open sun and root room to bulk up before it flowers into the head you harvest.
- Air between the leaves. Eighteen inches lets air dry the foliage after rain or watering, which cuts down on downy mildew and other leaf disease.
- A second harvest. Room now means side shoots later. A crowded plant puts everything into a small main head and has nothing left to send up after.
Common mistake
Planting broccoli at salad-green density to "fit more in." Brassicas this size need a full 18 inches. Pack them to 6 or 8 inches and you get a bed of leaves with golf-ball heads, no side shoots after, and trapped humid air that feeds disease. Thin to one plant per 18 inches and let each one earn its space.
Common spacing mistakes
Most broccoli spacing problems come from treating it like a small crop. It's a big brassica and it acts like one.
The frequent errors:
- Spacing by seed packet alone, ignoring variety. Packet ranges run wide. Match a compact, fast variety to the tighter end and a big main-crop variety to the wider end.
- Skipping the between-row gap. In rows, 24 to 36 inches between rows isn't optional. Skinny rows shade the lower leaves and choke airflow.
- Forgetting the plant gets wide. A mature broccoli plant can span 18 to 24 inches of leaf. Space for that, not for the small transplant you put in the ground.
Get the bed filled and fed first, then plant. The how much compost do I need guide covers the amendment, and broccoli is a heavy feeder that earns it. If you're planning a bed with more than one brassica, broccoli companion plants and cabbage companion plants cover what to plant alongside it and what to keep away.
Once you've got the layout set, when to plant broccoli covers timing the transplant to your frost dates, and when to harvest broccoli covers the bud signs that say a head is ready to cut.
Put your bed's numbers in
Broccoli wants 18 inches between plants and 24 to 36 inches between rows, or a full square foot each in a raised bed. That spacing sets both your main head size and whether you get a real side-shoot harvest after. Triangular packing buys back the diagonal that a square grid wastes.
Pick broccoli and your bed size in the Plant Spacing Calculator to see how many plants fit in square, triangular, and square-foot layouts, with a grid preview for your exact dimensions.
Common questions
How close together can I plant broccoli?
The tightest workable spacing is about 12 inches in-row, the bottom of the extension range. At 12 inches you get smaller main heads but more of them across the bed. For full-size heads, hold at 18 inches. Closer than 12 inches crowds the plants and traps moisture against the leaves.
How many broccoli plants fit in a 4x8 raised bed?
At 18-inch spacing, a 4 by 8 foot bed holds 10 broccoli plants in a square grid (5 down the length, 2 across the width). A staggered triangular layout fits 9. Square-foot gardening counts 1 per square, but 32 full-size heads in that bed is too tight in practice.
Can you plant broccoli too close?
Yes. Crowded broccoli competes for light and nutrients, so heads stay small and slow. Tight spacing also traps humid air between leaves, which invites downy mildew and other leaf diseases. Give each plant 18 inches and a clear path for air, and the heads size up faster.
How far apart should broccoli rows be?
Space broccoli rows 24 to 36 inches apart, per US extension guidance. The wider end suits big heading varieties and gives you room to walk and harvest. In a raised bed you skip rows entirely and use a 1-per-square-foot grid instead.
Does broccoli spacing differ in a raised bed?
In a raised bed you drop the between-row gap and plant on a grid. Square-foot gardening puts 1 broccoli per square foot. A triangular grid at 18 inches fits about 15 percent more plants than a square grid in a large bed, so run your bed size to see the real count.
Do broccoli plants produce more than one head?
Yes. Cut the main head first, and most plants keep sending up smaller side shoots for weeks after, per Utah State University Extension and University of Illinois Extension. Tight spacing shrinks the main head and can shut side shoots down almost entirely, while 18 inches or more leaves room for both the main harvest and the second wave. Some newer varieties are bred to skip side shoots altogether, so check the seed packet if a long harvest window matters to you.
Sources
Agronomic claims in this guide are checked against these primary sources.
- Broccoli production — NC State Extension
- Broccoli and cauliflower — University of Maryland Extension
- Square Foot Gardening — Square Foot Gardening Foundation
- Intensive gardening methods — Michigan State University Extension
- Broccoli in the garden — Utah State University Extension
- Broccoli — University of Illinois Extension
- Fresh Market Broccoli Production for Georgia — University of Georgia Extension
- A hybrid decision tool for optimizing broccoli production in a changing climate — USDA Agricultural Research Service
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