THE GEOMETRY BEHIND THE COUNT
A rectangle, two spacings,
and a visible count.
This tool counts centre points in an aligned rectangular grid. You choose the spacing and clearances; Yardfill turns those choices and the bed dimensions into a position count.
The model does not select plants, recommend spacing, assess growth or predict yield. Its output is geometry rather than a horticultural plan. Use the product or project details appropriate to your own circumstances.
Keep measurements in the same units
All tool inputs are metres. Length is the schematic's horizontal X axis; width is its vertical Y axis. A 50 cm spacing is 0.5 m and a 25 cm centre clearance is 0.25 m. These conversions are examples of units, not recommended dimensions.
Spacing means the distance from one centre point to the next. An edge clearance means distance from a bed edge to a centre point, not to the outer edge of a mature plant, pot or other object.
Deduct two clearances, count gaps, then add one
On the length axis, the same entered clearance applies to the near and far ends. On the width axis, a separate entered clearance applies to both opposite sides. For each axis, subtract two clearances from the dimension to get the span available between the first and last permissible centres.
Divide that span by the spacing and take the whole-number part. This is the number of full spacing gaps. Add one because the endpoints of seven consecutive gaps contain eight centres.
Centres on an axis = floor(available span ÷ spacing) + 1
Positions per bed = length-axis centres × width-axis centres
The formula applies when the available span is non-negative and spacing is positive. If both clearances exceed the dimension together, no centre fits on that axis and the bed's complete position count is zero. If the available span is exactly zero, one centre fits on that axis.
The 48-position example
The following values demonstrate the formula only. They are not instructions for a particular plant or bed.
| Quantity | Length axis (X) | Width axis (Y) |
|---|---|---|
| Bed dimension | 4 m | 3 m |
| Centre clearance at each opposite edge | 0.25 m | 0.25 m |
| Available span | 4 − 0.5 = 3.5 m | 3 − 0.5 = 2.5 m |
| Chosen centre spacing | 0.5 m | 0.5 m |
| Whole spacing gaps | floor(3.5 ÷ 0.5) = 7 | floor(2.5 ÷ 0.5) = 5 |
| Centre count | 7 + 1 = 8 | 5 + 1 = 6 |
Multiplying the two centre counts gives 8 × 6 = 48 positions per bed. Three separate matching beds with these same dimensions and settings would give 144 positions.
The first X centre is 0.25 m from the near end. Its next centres are 0.75 m, 1.25 m and so on, ending at 3.75 m. Y centres start at 0.25 m and end at 2.75 m. Each final centre is 0.25 m from its far edge in this particular example.
The far edge may have more unused space
The grid begins at the entered near-edge clearance and advances in whole spacing steps. It is not automatically centred within the bed. When the available span is not an exact multiple of spacing, unused span stays at the far edge.
For example, change the length to 4.1 m while keeping the illustrative 0.25 m clearance and 0.5 m spacing. The length axis still holds eight centres, with the last centre at 3.75 m. Its far-edge clearance becomes 4.1 − 3.75 = 0.35 m, which is above the entered minimum of 0.25 m.
The downloaded plan shows first and last coordinates and the resulting far-edge clearances. These help you understand the model without assuming that the near and far gaps will always match.
Exact decimal boundaries
Whole-gap counts are sensitive at an exact boundary. A span of 0.1 m and a spacing of 0.1 m give one complete gap and therefore two centres. Rounding the division slightly below one would produce the wrong count.
The calculator handles entered metre values as decimal quantities when counting gaps, with up to nine decimal places. It does not add a hidden tolerance, extra clearance or extra position to the geometric model. Longer decimal precision is rejected rather than silently rounded.
Several beds and matching quantities
Add another bed type when its length or width differs. Use the matching-bed quantity when several separate beds share the same dimensions. The spacing and edge clearances apply to every bed type in the current plan.
Each rectangle is counted independently. Avoid entering the same bed twice or using overlapping rectangles as if they were separate beds. For different spacing settings, make a separate plan; the tool does not assign different settings to individual bed types.
Read the schematic as a preview
The schematic shows centre locations for one matching bed of the selected type. It is a fitted illustration, not a measuring drawing. The full count appears in the result, table and downloaded text.
Dense grids show up to 150 representative markers by sampling rows and columns. The preview note states when markers have been sampled. Sampling only reduces what is drawn; it does not reduce the calculated position count.
What the rectangular model leaves out
This model has aligned rows and columns, two symmetric edge-clearance settings and one spacing per axis. It does not handle staggered rows, hexagonal layouts, curved beds, obstacle exclusions, pathways, independent clearances at all four edges or automatic centring of leftover span.
It also does not model the size of a plant or container, suitable neighbouring plants, growth, survival, production or yield. A geometric position count alone does not establish that a planting arrangement is appropriate.
Keep the plan on your device
Download a text plan or print it after a valid calculation. It includes all bed types, matching quantities, grid counts, settings and coordinate endpoints. The tool does not send the inputs to an application server, automatically save them in browser storage or add them to analytics events.
Yardfill's existing privacy information covers ordinary Cloudflare hosting, site traffic measurement, Search Console and public email enquiries. The calculator inputs are not included in traffic reports. Feedback can be sent through the existing contact page, using the public forwarding address yardfill.helpful594@aleeas.com.