Ha Ha No they do not get to crowded. The thing I have found on spacing is this, How mature do you want your vegetables to be when you harvest them . and just what cultivar are you planting. Some times I wish Mel would have put spacing into a range Like( radish 9-16 per square ) carrots (Nantes 25 spring 16 summer) .. Now do you get the idea. So does it work better than row planting I think so. weeds are surly not a problem. The need to irrigate increases due to the close planting especially as plants mature. In all other matters it seems to be easier to square foot than row crop for me. When you get into the successive inter cropping that's when the square foot way really shines.

Curt