Garden plans you can copy, square by square

Drawn to scale for small spaces. What goes where, what grows together, and when to start seeds, counted back from your last frost.

What do you want to pick?

Salad4×4 ftSalsa and salad4×8 ftKitchen plot10×10 ft

1 square = 1 ft. Leafy greens in the top half, roots in the bottom half.

1 square = 1 ft. Tall plants sit on the north side so they don't shade the rest.

1 square = 1 ft. Two 4×10 beds with a 2 ft path. Cucumbers on a trellis and tomatoes at the north end.

See what goes in each square

The 4×4 recipe

The 4×8 recipe

The 10×10 recipe

Tap a row to find it in the bed. Plants per square follow the University of Florida's square foot gardening guide. Your seed packet has the final word.

Your frost dates are your calendar

When to sow each plant, counted from your last spring frost and your first fall frost. Look up your zone here, then set your two frost dates on the calendar below.

or tap your zone

Type a ZIP code or tap a zone to see how cold your winters get.

Nothing to plant this week. Next: start green onions indoors, around Jan 7.

Plants fromSaladSalsa and saladKitchen plot

Last spring frostApr 15First fall frostOct 15

Example dates. Drag the two blue handles to yours. Look up your frost dates by ZIP.

Green onions
Start seeds indoors Jan 7 to 27. Plant out Mar 18 to 24.
Kale
Start seeds indoors Feb 4 to 24. Plant out Mar 18 to 24. For a fall crop, sow by Jul 28.
Lettuce
Start seeds indoors Feb 11 to Mar 3. Plant out Mar 18 to 31. For a fall crop, sow by Aug 7.
Peas
Sow outdoors Mar 4 to 10.
Spinach
Sow outdoors Mar 4 to 24. For a fall crop, sow by Aug 12.
Chard
Start seeds indoors Feb 18 to Mar 10. Plant out Apr 1 to 7. For a fall crop, sow by Jul 23.
Radishes
Sow outdoors Mar 18 to Apr 7. For a fall crop, sow by Sep 1.
Carrots
Sow outdoors Mar 25 to Apr 7. For a fall crop, sow by Jul 18.
Cilantro
Sow outdoors Apr 1 to 14.
Tomatoes
Start seeds indoors Feb 25 to Mar 24. Plant out Apr 22 to May 5.
Peppers
Start seeds indoors Feb 18 to Mar 10. Plant out Apr 29 to May 5.
Basil
Start seeds indoors Mar 4 to 24. Plant out Apr 29 to May 5.
Cucumbers
Start seeds indoors Mar 25 to Apr 14. Plant out Apr 22 to May 5. For a fall crop, sow by Jul 19.
Bush beans
Sow outdoors Apr 15 to 28. For a fall crop, sow by Jul 19.

Spring timings: UNH Extension and KidsGardening. Fall: days to maturity from University of Arkansas Extension, plus two weeks for shorter fall days and two more for plants that can't take frost, as Virginia Tech Extension suggests. Add the weeks you want to keep picking. Zones: USDA 2023 hardiness map, looked up through phzmapi.org.

Will these twoget along?

Pick any two plants. The checker looks at what you can see in a bed (height and shade, timing, plant family) and at the few pairings with real research behind them. Folklore charts don't count.

Now pick a plant for square 2.

Good use of space

Tomatoes grow tall. Lettuce cope with partial shade, so they can sit just south of them. Source: Ohio State Master Gardeners, Nebraska Extension.
Lettuce are ready in about 55 days, so they're picked before the tomatoes need the room. Source: University of Arkansas Extension, Ohio State Master Gardeners.
No study we found tests this pair directly. These notes are about light, timing and family.

works wellworks, with a catchkeep apartno evidence either way

The first full plans, with materials and sources, are on their way.