One okra plant per square foot, 12 inches apart, on the north edge of the bed. Tall heirloom varieties do better with a 2 x 2 foot block.

9 cilantro plants per square foot, 4 inches apart, when you grow it for leaves. A plant left to flower for coriander seed gets a whole square, and leaf cilantro is best sown a square at a time every few weeks.

One cabbage plant per square foot, 12 inches apart, which grows small heads. Compact and early varieties fit one per square; large storage types go in every other square.

One cantaloupe plant per 4 square feet, a 2 x 2 foot block with plants 24 inches apart. A trellis gets the vine off the path but does not let you plant closer.

9 turnip plants per square foot, in a 3 x 3 grid 4 inches apart. Turnips pulled small can go closer, greens-only squares need no thinning, and rutabagas get 4 per square.

Start from how much garlic your kitchen uses and get cloves to plant, bulbs to keep for seed, pounds of seed garlic to buy and bed space. One bulb a week is 61 hardneck cloves in one 4×4 bed.