Something I've always wondered is how strict do we need to be with plant spacing, specifically the space between rows? I get that to get a carrot to grow to the desired size, I'm going to want about an inch or two of space between it and it's neighbour so it can root in peace and get enough light, but do they really need to be in a straight row, single file, 12 inches from the next? Beets? Lettuce? Is it because of the nutrients they take up, so they need enough surrounding free soil to draw from? Ease of weeding tools work best with rows? Of course bigger plants need bigger space for airflow and health, but if they're tidier plants I'd love to plant them closer.
Most pressing on my mind this year is with my onions. My beds are 12 feet long, 3.5 feet wide. If I plant my onions in straight rows, 4-6 inches apart, 12 inches between rows, I'll get 70-90 onions per bed. But, if I just ensured 4 inches between each onion for the whole bed, I can nearly double that. And if I use straw to mulch, my weeding should be minimal. Am I being greedy and setting myself up for small, diseased onions, or can we squeeze far more out of our beds by eliminating row spacing and increasing soil fertility?
Intensive planting
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Danoost
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Assuming you have good fertile soil, the biggest concern with close spacing is lighting.
If you pack your vegetables too tightly, they'll be fine until they begin to compete for light. This means that you'll need to have them in the ground longer to reach mature size making them a target for pests and sometimes giving them less than great taste. This is true for carrots, lettuce, beets, parsnips, and more.
In the case of onions, we space them 6" apart down the row with rows 10" apart. If I were to pack more in the bed, I'd get more onions with approximately the same overall yield.
If you pack your vegetables too tightly, they'll be fine until they begin to compete for light. This means that you'll need to have them in the ground longer to reach mature size making them a target for pests and sometimes giving them less than great taste. This is true for carrots, lettuce, beets, parsnips, and more.
In the case of onions, we space them 6" apart down the row with rows 10" apart. If I were to pack more in the bed, I'd get more onions with approximately the same overall yield.