How to Space Vegetable Plants in Virginia

When spring rolls around and you start thinking about your summer vegetable garden, it's important to build a plan in regard to vegetables, timing and space usage. While small plants like beans and okra grow in relatively contained areas, large plants like tomatoes can expand to several feet in each direction. Each plant must have appropriate space for sun, air and growth, and so generally comes with spacing guidelines. These guidelines, which allow for quick, healthy growth and fruit or vegetable harvest, are especially important in cool areas like USDA growing zones 5 and 6. In Virginia, where hot summers fall between bitterly cold winters, gardeners should stick to spacing requirements to ensure full growth before fall frost arrives.

• 1

  Find a large, sunny spot for your vegetable patch. Choose a spot that's at least 10 feet by 10 feet, so you have plenty of planting space. Your spot should get full sun for at least eight hours every day, and complete drainage throughout.

• 2

  Plant your spring vegetables after the last frost, which may fall from April 18 in Charlottesville to June 3 in Burke's Garden. The Virginia Cooperative Extension suggests early May plantings for most areas of Virginia. Amend the soil in your site the day before planting, with a mixture of 1/2 quick-draining soil and 1/2 organic compost. Mix your amendment into the top 4 inches of soil, then add organic fertilizer to the top 1 to 2 inches to increase the nutrition.

• 3

  Plant tall plants, including peppers, tomatoes and corn, on one side of the garden. Use plant-specific spacing for these plants, or stick to a general guideline of each plant at 12 to 24 inches, and each row at 24 to 36 inches. Put stakes behind these vining plantings to give them support and air circulation during growth.

• 4

  Plant short-season root crops in the spaces between rows. This should include radishes, lettuce, carrots, rutabagas and garlic, which don't require full sunshine at all times for growth. Follow the same spacing of 12 to 24 inches for these short-season crops, which will grow to maturity more quickly than their taller neighbors.

• 5

  Plant smaller plants at least 2 feet from the outer row of tall plants, to keep them out of the shade and ensure full sun and air exposure throughout the summer. Plant beans, okra, strawberries, squash and cucumbers on this side of the garden, at a spacing of 2 to 4 inches per plant and 18 to 24 inches per row. This leaves you adequate space to walk the rows, while allowing the plants full sun exposure for a quick maturation.

• 6

  Harvest root crops at their maturity dates, and above-ground fruits and vegetables based on their maturity dates and the ripeness of the fruit. Harvest all summertime fruit before the first frost in Virginia, which may fall between mid-September and early November, depending on your region.