The production of cotton in row spacings and planting patterns other than the conventional solid planted wide spacing (38 or 40-in rows) has accelerated greatly in the Mississippi Delta during the past several years. Narrow-row cotton production (production in rows spaced 35-in apart or less) is attractive to many Mississippi growers because it allows a complimentary row spacing with rotational crops to be used, has the potential for increased profits, and is now more accessible due to the increased availability of narrow-row spindle harvesters. Previous studies have shown that row spacing affects both the physiological and agronomic development of plants, and this may lead to yield advantages for narrow-row cotton compared to more conventional row spacings. Another variation in planting geometry currently practiced throughout the cotton-belt is skip-row cotton. Skip-row involves the planting of cotton in an alternating pattern with a certain number of unplanted rows in a field. Currently, there are many variations of skip-row cotton being used in the Mississippi Delta, but one popular pattern is the 2x1 full skip-row pattern. This system involves the planting of cotton in a 2x1 pattern, where 2 rows of cotton are planted and 1 row is left unplanted. Currently, detailed information concerning the effects of row spacings and planting patterns on cotton growth, fruiting patterns, earliness, and lint quantity/quality associations is lacking. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of various planting patterns (solid vs 2x1 full skip) and row spacings (40-in vs 30-in) for cotton production in the Mississippi Delta; to determine the effects of row spacings and planting patterns on cotton growth, fruiting patterns, and lint development; and to assess the relationship between earliness and planting geometry (row spacings and planting patterns).