Question: How far apart should vegetable seeds or transplants be planted? Will I need to thin them?

Answer: That depends on each crop’s mature size. Tomatoes will be perhaps 36 to 48 inches apart in their rows, while lettuce, by comparison, can intermix with itself. Vegetable plants can compete with one another just as badly as actual weeds, so keep them well spaced. Beans are a good example of a vegetable that will need to be thinned. Sow seeds 1 to 2 inches apart, then thin them to stand 3 to 4 inches apart in the rows.