Plant Spacing Adaptation

General Discussions
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I am curious about anyones personal stories/success in regards to planting densely. How many of us are deliberately squeezing in more plants as opposed to giving them their “optimal” space requirements for air flow and nutrient/water/sun intake?

I am the type of gardener who constantly pushes the boundaries of too close together, one hard lesson i learned when planting multiple varieties of winter squash about 1ft apart last year with very minimal fruiting. Ouch. Maybe, just maybe, it was my fault for planting too late, causing the squash to push out only male flowers and minimal female in the stress of the heat…
SO could i continue to plant squash in that manner and see any improvements? Or are certain crops just the way they are with no wiggle room? What about when fruit rots in a field and a bunch of seeds germinate in a clump the next year? I understand there are factors involved such as soil fertility and moisture, since the more plants packed in an area the more resources are being used up and needed.. but are there other people really pushing the boundaries to see how long it may take or if results will even change in due time?

Im particularly curious about certain crops that are recommended 2-3ft spacing in between, such as the aforementioned squash, as well as cabbage, peppers, other heavy feeders… Right now im using 1ft spacing for tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other heat loving plants. I even planted my zucchini close because i want to train em up a bamboo stick and cut off bottom leaves for better air flow and less leaf overlap with nearby plants. The only thing getting 2ft is ground cherry because it sprawls, along with some winter squash planted 1ft and some 2ft+ to observe any notable differences.

Another factor i consider is interplanting/polyculture/companion planting, since different root systems take up different areas under the soil. For example, I have potatoes growing in a row each one off centre from the middle, so i also planted a couple cucumber seedlings in between the potato plants with celery dotted around and garlic on the edge. Packed full. Not sure how well itll work due to my soil conditions but i had extra seedlings to experiment with. I also squeeze in beans everywhere in the garden wherever they fit for nitrogen fixing and utilizing space as efficiently as i can.

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Only when I I do mass direct sowings and play it save so that rather have more to choose from than big gaps. But still I have certain max ensity that I try not to exceed. The denser they are the less tolerant they are to conditions like you said. I don’t really see what would be the benefit of being able to grow more plants in same area. It’s generally the resources that determine the yield. Within certain range the yield will be almost the same no matter how many plants and once you go over/under the yield will plummet.

Interplanting is a good way to make most of the resources. Personally I think corn is inefficient in space use on itself. At least planting them tight would need more fertilization and lower density a lot of light gets to the ground. So it’s good to have either squash every other row or beans under the corn rows. Over here 3 sisters doesn’t work so well with traditional beans and that’s why I’ll try with favas. Never found the space for favas so that would be good way of making the most of the space and adding some nitrogen fixing. So for squash rather have space for them to grow so that you don’t have think about watering that much.

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Hmm… My big picture answer is: What are the limiting factors of your garden? The more limiting factors, the harder it is to push the plants.

Fertile soil, plentiful compost or chop and drop etc, good rainfall through the growing season or able to regularly water/irrigate… Heck ya, pack them in like intensive or square foot gardening and see how tight you can get, while also getting a good enough crop return still.

Less rainfall? Really uneven rainfall? Inability to water/irrigate? Well, giving plants space allows them to spread roots out to have wider access to water. And less competition between plants of the same rooting depth/habit for water.

Or do you have alot of rain and you have to space out your tomatoes so they don’t all die of disease the moment one gets it? Or you just don’t want to have to go on a tomato jungle safari to collect the fruits?

My zoomed in answer is: I don’t know that I’m pushing plant spacing necessarily. But I am going to try more and more inter planting and successive planting.

Half my garden is going to be corn, squash, beans, watermelons, sunflowers. The corn will be grown in offset double rows. Two offset rows, then 5 feet gap, then two offset rows, etc. In the center of the gaps will be rows of maxima squash, moschata squash, watermelons. Then the sunflowers in a block, probably on grid spacing. The beans will be planted along some of the corn rows, after the corn is up some inches, to hopefully climb it. And I can compare the bean-corn rows to the corn rows.

I’m thinking of all different ways to arrange the squash and watermelon in the gaps. To maximize planting alot and culling the stragglers. But hopefully not planting too many or too close that I don’t get a good harvest. Plus, what spacing or arrangement works best to get the ground covered and not weedy? Maybe underplanting with some clover?

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I plant a bit denser than recommended. Many plants get lost through snails or just don’t make it big. I see growing denser as a weed/grass shield, slowing down competitors like weeds and grass. Then select more vigorous.

I use the weeds and grasses when they compete as a chop and drop around plants, localized mulch. The snails being cleaners will go for them before choosing my plants.

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I’m trying to bring all the vegetables to the too-many-seeds point so that I can direct sow or broadcast from year to year. This spring I was able to do that with tomatoes, basil, and (just barely) tulsi. I planted them in a ‘row’ of sorts. That is, I pulled back the wood chips and sprinkled the seeds in a rather wide line in front of a bit of trellis. A bit of dirt, put the mulch back, and done. Some will be a little close. Some will not make it. -shrugs-

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Since my garden is very small, my rule is that no soil is visible when you look at it - you see only plants. I not only plant denser than normally but I also interplant. For instance, when favas start to bloom, I plant carrots between them. Radishes between lettuces. Dwarf beans between brassicas. And herbs everywhere around. I plant almost only seedlings to be sure that no free spaces are left. That applies to raised beds. In main crop garden when I grow potatoes, cucurbits and corn in thick mulch I plant 50% denser than common knowledge or seed package instructions say. This is to fully shade soil and conserve water.

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Oh man, thanks everyone for such excellent replies! I didnt intend to respond so late but.. life happens and i wasnt able to pay attention to GTS for a while. I am a little overwhelmed to send individual messages but I just wanted to acknowledge all of you because i dont like ignoring people when i started up a topic and was unable to keep up. Greatly appreciate the advice and i have plenty to consider! :blush: