Happy Icicle Radishes

While the radishes I planted in my root vegetable garden are growing at a much slower rate than I would like, the icicle radishes I planted in my tiered garden  are coming up quite nicely!

The icicle radishes are the rows on the right side.  There are also three radishes that were planted in between those rows.  Basically, I'm doing a test to see just how much growth is effected by the spacing in between plants.

Indeed, the difference in icicle radish size is significantly different.  The plants I set in rows are actually smaller than the three that were planted in between.  I didn't over-plant the rows of icicle radishes, or anything, but I did set them at the minimum spacing allowed.

You're probably wondering why I chose to test this in the first place.

Basically, I had read in various places that planting by the square foot rather than in rows allows for tighter spacing between plants, while ensuring a properly large size.  Obviously, I didn't plant in square feet, instead electing to throw a few icicle radishes in between the rows, but I really feel that perhaps planting a number of plants per square foot may truly be the best option.

The reason I feel this way is that planting per square foot allows a nice amount of space on all sides of a plant, rather than only between the rows.  I mean, imagine that you're stuck in a small area.  Let's say you're trapped in a box.  Obviously, you'd be unhappy in any case, simply because you're human, but put that aside and pretend that you actually meant to be inside.  Would you choose one like this:

Or would you prefer one like this:

Personally, I'd prefer the latter box, because it allows me to fully stretch my arms and legs in any direction.  I imagine plant roots would feel the same way. 

For now on, I'll be planting by the square foot, rather than by row.  It just makes sense!