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Raised Bed Vegetable Garden Layout Plans You Can Copy (4×4, 4×8, Kitchen Garden)

Five copy-and-plant layouts with plant counts, spacing and what goes where.

Updated 2026-09-11

Layout rules that apply to every bed

• Tall crops (tomatoes, trellised cucumbers, pole beans) on the north side so they do not shade the rest.
• Grid the bed in 1-ft squares. Most beginners' spacing problems disappear when they count squares.
• One square = 1 tomato, 1 pepper, 4 lettuces, 9 bush beans, 16 carrots or radishes.
• Run the long side east to west if you can, so the tall north row is the long one and every other row gets full sun.
• Keep the bed 4 ft wide at most and leave 18–24 in of path around it.

The square counts come from square foot gardening; the plans below just put them in a sensible order.

Plan 1: 4×4 salad bed (16 squares)

Row 1 (north): 2 cherry tomatoes on ladders, 2 basil. Row 2: 4 squares of lettuce (succession sow every 2 weeks). Row 3: 2 kale, 2 Swiss chard. Row 4: radishes, carrots, scallions, parsley. Feeds two people salads from May to frost.

Timing: rows 2–4 go in 3–4 weeks before the last frost; tomatoes and basil wait until nights stay above 50°F. In August, resow the lettuce squares with spinach for fall.

Plan 2: 4×8 family bed (32 squares)

North row: 3 tomatoes, 1 cucumber on a trellis, 2 peppers, 2 basil. Middle: 4 bush beans squares, 2 zucchini (they need 2 squares each), 4 lettuce. South: carrots, beets, radishes, spinach, chives, dill, cilantro, marigolds in the corners.

Give the zucchini the south-west corner so its leaves hang over the edge instead of over the lettuce, and the cucumber trellis the north-east end, where morning sun dries the leaves.

Plan 3: tomato & basil bed (4×4)

4 indeterminate tomatoes on the north half, 4 basil in front, 8 squares of lettuce and arugula that get shaded (and stay sweet) in July. Companion classic.

Four indeterminate tomatoes in 8 sq ft is tight. Ladder them, prune each to two leaders, and strip the lower leaves by July for airflow. In humid zones (6–8 east of the Rockies) drop to 3 plants; blight spreads fastest in a crowded bed.

Plan 4: herb bed (2×4 or an elevated planter)

Rosemary, thyme and oregano on the sunny dry end; parsley, chives, cilantro and dill on the end nearest the hose. Mint only in its own pot.

Rosemary is perennial from zone 7 southwards, thyme, oregano and chives from zone 5; north of that, bring the rosemary pot inside. Cilantro bolts in June heat: resow every 3 weeks or grow it in spring and fall only.

Plan 5: two-bed kitchen garden

Bed A is the salad bed (plan 1), bed B is the family bed (plan 2). Rotate them next year: what grew in A goes in B. Paths 18–24 in wide, mulched with wood chips.

Two beds are where a drip kit on a timer pays for itself: one mainline, no more evening hose duty.

Adapting a plan to your zone

• Short seasons (zones 3–5): swap one tomato for a second cucumber or more bush beans, use 60-day tomato varieties, and buy the north row as transplants.
• Hot summers (zones 8–10): lettuce squares become okra, sweet potato or bush beans from June to September; the salad plan runs October to May instead.
• Small spaces: the 4×4 plans work in two 2×4 beds or a 3.5×3.5 metal kit.

Mistakes to skip

• Two zucchini in the middle of a 4×4 bed. They take it over by July.
• Tomatoes on the south edge, shading everything behind them from noon on.
• Planting all 16 lettuce squares on the same day. Four squares every two weeks.
• A bed that is 5 ft wide because the lumber came in 10 ft lengths.
• Forgetting the marigolds and dill in the corners: that is where the pollinators come from.

Getting the timing right

A layout is only half the plan. Enter your frost date in the planting calendar to see when each square gets planted, and check the companion planting chart before you swap crops around.

FAQ

How many tomato plants fit in a 4×8 raised bed?

Three to four along the north edge, staked or laddered, with 2 sq ft each. Six is possible with heavy pruning but the yield per plant drops and blight spreads faster.

Which way should a raised bed face?

Long side east to west, tall crops on the north edge. If the bed must run north to south, put the tall crops at the north end and accept some afternoon shade behind them.

What should I plant on the north side of a raised bed?

The tallest crops: indeterminate tomatoes, a cucumber or pole-bean trellis, then peppers. Everything else goes south of them in descending height.

How much space do I need between raised beds?

18 in is the minimum to walk and kneel; 24–36 in fits a wheelbarrow. Mulch the paths so they stay weed-free.

What is the best raised bed layout for a beginner?

The 4×8 family bed. It holds tomatoes, beans, a cucumber, greens and roots in one place, and it is easy to water and cover. Start with that and add the salad bed the second year.

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