Spacing
How far apart to plant cabbages and other brassicas
The short answer
Most cabbages go 30 to 45cm apart; calabrese 30 to 45cm in rows 45cm apart; kale 30 to 60cm in rows at least 45cm apart. Brussels sprouts need 60cm each way, sprouting broccoli 60 to 80cm, and winter cauliflowers 70cm. Mini cauliflowers are the exception, at 15cm. RHS gives no between-row figure for cabbages.
Brassicas range from spring cabbages you thin to 30cm to sprouting broccoli that needs the best part of a square metre. The big ones are in the ground for most of a year, which is why they get the room.
The spacing
| Crop | In the row | Between rows | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabbage (spring) | 30cm | 30cm (no source figure; assumed) | (RHS, Garden Organic) |
| Cabbage (summer and autumn) | 30cm to 45cm | 30cm to 45cm (no source figure; assumed) | (RHS) |
| Cabbage (winter and savoy) | 45cm to 50cm | 45cm to 50cm (no source figure; assumed) | (Garden Organic) |
| Kale | 30cm to 60cm | 45cm | (RHS) |
| Broccoli (calabrese) | 30cm to 45cm | 45cm | (RHS) |
| Broccoli (sprouting) | 60cm to 80cm | 60cm to 80cm | (RHS) |
| Cauliflower (summer and autumn) | 45cm to 60cm | 60cm | (RHS) |
| Cauliflower (winter and spring) | 70cm | 70cm | (RHS) |
| Cauliflower (mini) | 15cm each way | Grid, same both ways | (RHS) |
| Brussels sprouts | 60cm | 60cm | (RHS) |
- Cabbage (spring): RHS sows 10cm apart and thins to 30cm in late winter, eating the thinnings as spring greens.
- Cabbage (winter and savoy): Garden Organic gives 50cm; RHS gives up to 45cm for larger varieties.
- Broccoli (sprouting): RHS gives 60 to 80cm between plants and "a similar distance" between rows.
How many fit in a bed
Worked out with the same method as the plant spacing calculator, for three common bed sizes.
| Crop | 2.4 × 1.2m bed | 1.2 × 1.2m bed | 3 × 1.2m bed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabbage (spring) | 32 | 16 | 40 |
| Cabbage (summer and autumn) | 10 to 32 | 4 to 16 | 12 to 40 |
| Cabbage (winter and savoy) | 8 to 10 | 4 | 12 |
| Kale | 10 to 20 | 4 to 8 | 12 to 24 |
| Broccoli (calabrese) | 10 to 20 | 4 to 8 | 12 to 24 |
| Broccoli (sprouting) | 3 to 8 | 1 to 4 | 3 to 10 |
| Cauliflower (summer and autumn) | 8 to 10 | 4 | 10 to 12 |
| Cauliflower (winter and spring) | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Cauliflower (mini) | 128 | 64 | 160 |
| Brussels sprouts | 8 | 4 | 10 |
Why this spacing
- Closer spacing gives smaller heads. Said of calabrese; RHS uses the wider 45cm for larger varieties.(RHS)
- Generous spacing helps air circulate around sprouting broccoli.(RHS)
- Brussels sprouts: don’t be tempted to plant more closely.(RHS)
- Spring cabbages start at 10cm and are thinned to 30cm in late winter; the thinnings are eaten as spring greens.(RHS)
When closer is fine
Put your beds on a plan, free
Add each bed with its size and what is growing in it. Vercro draws the plan to scale, keeps the record, and shows what each empty bed could take next.
Keep going
Where this comes from
Every spacing figure comes from the crop's RHS grow-your-own page, or Garden Organic where RHS gives none, linked beside the figure. The Vercro app's catalogue holds no spacing, so none of these numbers come from it. Reviewed 19 September 2026.
- How to grow Cabbages, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- Cabbage - spring, Garden Organic. Read 19 September 2026.
- Cabbage - summer & autumn, Garden Organic. Read 19 September 2026.
- Cabbage - winter and savoy, Garden Organic. Read 19 September 2026.
- How to grow Kale, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- How to grow Calabrese, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- How to grow broccoli, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- How to grow Cauliflower, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- How to grow Brussels sprouts, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.