Guide
How Far Apart to Plant Cabbage (Rows + Raised Bed)
Space cabbage 12 to 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 cabbage plants 12 to 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. Tighter spacing gives smaller heads, wider spacing gives larger ones.
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
Cabbage spacing in rows vs a raised bed
The number you need depends on how you garden. A row gardener measures in inches between plants and between rows. A raised-bed gardener thinks in squares.
For traditional rows, set cabbage 12 to 18 inches apart down the row, with 24 to 36 inches between rows. Go to the wide end for big late-season heads and a path to walk and cut.
In a raised bed you drop the between-row gap. You plant on a grid instead, with 1 cabbage per square foot. Same plant, same density, just counted a different way.
These numbers sit inside what US extension services publish. The University of Maryland Extension lists 15 to 18 inches in-row with rows 30 to 36 inches apart, and Iowa State Extension puts plants 12 to 24 inches apart depending on the head size you want. The site's default of 18 inches is the workable upper-middle, and the calculator lets you nudge it.
Cabbage spacing by method
This table gives you the spacing three ways, so you can plant the same bed however you garden. Frame it against your own setup: rows for the in-ground gardener, the grid for the raised bed.
| Method | Spacing | Plants per area |
|---|---|---|
| Rows (in-ground) | 12–18″ in-row, 24–36″ between rows | About 7 to 10 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. A plant that wants 18 inches in a row wants about a square foot in a grid, which is why cabbage lands at 1 per square. For the full crop-by-crop view, the plant spacing chart lays out in-row inches and square-foot counts side by side.
Square vs triangular layout
A raised bed gives you a choice most row gardeners never think about: how to stagger the plants. The layout changes how many heads fit.
Take a 4 ft by 8 ft bed and cabbage 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 cabbage per square, which pencils out to 32 plants in that 4 by 8 bed. That is too tight for full-size heads. The per-square count is a starting point, not a law, and cabbage is one of the crops where the honest answer is to give it the room.
Why spacing matters for cabbage
Cabbage rewards air and space more than most vegetables. Get the spacing right and the heads firm up evenly. Get it wrong and you fight small heads and disease all season.
Three things spacing buys you:
- Bigger, firmer heads. Each plant needs full sun and a clear root zone to wrap a solid head. Crowd it and the head stays loose and small.
- Airflow against disease. Cabbage leaves are broad and they hold humidity. A 12 to 18 inch gap lets air dry the leaves, which cuts fungal leaf diseases, per US extension guidance.
- Room to work. You need a path to scout for cabbage worms and to cut the head clean at harvest.
Common mistake
Planting cabbage at salad-green density to "fit more in." Cabbage is a full-size brassica and needs a full 12 to 18 inches. Pack it to 6 inches and you get a bed of leaves with golf-ball heads, plus trapped humid air that feeds disease. Thin to one plant per 12 to 18 inches and let each one earn its space.
Common spacing mistakes
Most cabbage spacing problems come from treating it like a small crop. It is a big brassica and it acts like one.
The frequent errors:
- Spacing by seed packet alone. Packet ranges run wide. Match the variety to the extension range and use 12 inches for compact heads, 18 inches for large ones.
- Skipping the between-row gap. In rows, 24 to 36 inches between rows is not optional. Skinny rows shade the lower leaves.
- Forgetting the plant gets wide. A cabbage plant can span 18 to 24 inches of leaf. Space for the mature plant, not the transplant.
Get the bed filled and fed first, then plant. The how much compost do I need guide covers the amendment, and cabbage is a heavy feeder that earns it. Sibling brassicas plant the same way, so the broccoli spacing guide carries over almost one-to-one.
Put your bed's numbers in
Cabbage wants 12 to 18 inches between plants and 24 to 36 inches between rows, or a full square foot each in a raised bed. The spacing is the same density, measured the way you garden. Tighter packing gives more, smaller heads, and wider packing gives fewer, larger ones.
Pick cabbage and your bed size in the Plant Spacing Calculator to see how many plants fit in square, triangular, and square-foot layouts. When the heads firm up, the when to harvest cabbage guide tells you the day to cut.
Common questions
How close together can I plant cabbage?
The tightest workable spacing is about 12 inches in-row, the bottom of the extension range. At 12 inches you get smaller, denser 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 cabbage plants fit in a 4x8 raised bed?
At 18-inch spacing, a 4 by 8 foot bed holds 10 cabbage 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 cabbage too close?
Yes. Crowded cabbage competes for light and nutrients, so heads stay small and slow to firm up. Tight spacing also traps humid air between the broad leaves, which invites fungal leaf disease. Give each plant 12 to 18 inches and a clear path for air, and the heads size up faster.
How far apart should cabbage rows be?
Space cabbage rows 24 to 36 inches apart, per US extension guidance. The wider end suits big late 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 cabbage spacing change the head size?
Yes, and you can use it on purpose. Plant at 12 inches for smaller, tighter heads and a heavier total yield per bed. Plant at 18 inches for fewer but larger heads. The same plant gives a different result depending on the room you give it.
Sources
Agronomic claims in this guide are checked against these primary sources.
- Growing Cabbage in the Home Garden — Iowa State University Extension
- Cabbage — University of Maryland Extension
- Square Foot Gardening — Square Foot Gardening Foundation
- Intensive gardening methods — Michigan State University Extension
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