Kitchen Garden Ideas: Raised Beds and Vegetable Layout

Getting it right

Size the beds around your arms rather than the space: 4 feet (1.2 m) wide means you can reach the middle from either side and never stand on the soil. Leave 18 inches (45 cm) between beds and one main path 3 feet (90 cm) wide so a wheelbarrow fits. Put the herbs you cut most, chives, parsley and thyme, nearest the kitchen door, because the ones at the far end of the yard quietly stop being used. Keep one bed empty for whatever the season turns out to want.

How to plan it

Put it in the sunniest spot you have, ideally six to eight hours of direct sun, and as close to the house as you can manage. A kitchen garden you pass every day gets picked, watered and weeded; one at the back of the yard gets forgotten in July.

Raised beds 10 to 12 inches (25–30 cm) deep are enough for most vegetables and warm up faster in spring. Fill them with a blend of topsoil and compost, run the long sides north to south so both sides get sun, and put tall crops like pole beans and tomatoes at the north end, where they won't shade the rest.

Rotate crops through a simple four-bed cycle: tomatoes and squash, then beans and peas, then leafy greens and brassicas like kale, then roots. Perennial crops, such as strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries and currants, get their own permanent bed at one end, since they stay put for years.

Plants that work

Botanical names come first so you can order the right plant anywhere. Heights are for mature plants in the ground.
Plant	Type	Light	Water	Height	Hardy to
TomatoSolanum lycopersicum	Edible · Deciduous	Full sun	High	3–7 ft (1–2 m)	Grown as an annual
LettuceLactuca sativa	Edible · Deciduous	Partial shade	High	8–12 in (20–30 cm)	23 °F / −5 °C
KaleBrassica oleracea (Acephala)	Edible · Semi-evergreen	Full sun	Moderate	16–31 in (40–80 cm)	10 °F / −12 °C
ZucchiniCucurbita pepo	Edible · Deciduous	Full sun	High	2–3 ft (50–90 cm)	Grown as an annual
Scarlet runner beanPhaseolus coccineus	Edible · Deciduous	Full sun	High	7–10 ft (2–3 m)	Grown as an annual
StrawberryFragaria × ananassa	Edible · Deciduous	Full sun	Moderate	8–12 in (20–30 cm)	−13 °F / −25 °C
RaspberryRubus idaeus	Edible · Deciduous	Partial shade	Moderate	5–7 ft (1.5–2 m)	−22 °F / −30 °C
Red currantRibes rubrum	Edible · Deciduous	Partial shade	Moderate	4–6 ft (1.2–1.8 m)	−22 °F / −30 °C
AppleMalus domestica	Edible · Deciduous	Full sun	Moderate	7–16 ft (2–5 m)	−22 °F / −30 °C
RhubarbRheum rhabarbarum	Edible · Deciduous	Partial shade	High	3–4 ft (0.8–1.2 m)	−22 °F / −30 °C
ChivesAllium schoenoprasum	Herb · Deciduous	Full sun	Moderate	10–16 in (25–40 cm)	−22 °F / −30 °C
BasilOcimum basilicum	Herb · Deciduous	Full sun	High	12–24 in (30–60 cm)	Grown as an annual
ParsleyPetroselinum crispum	Herb · Deciduous	Partial shade	Moderate	10–16 in (25–40 cm)	14 °F / −10 °C
ThymeThymus vulgaris	Herb · Evergreen	Full sun	Low	8–12 in (20–30 cm)	−4 °F / −20 °C
SageSalvia officinalis	Herb · Semi-evergreen	Full sun	Low	16–28 in (40–70 cm)	−4 °F / −20 °C
SpearmintMentha spicata	Herb · Deciduous	Partial shade	High	16–31 in (40–80 cm)	−13 °F / −25 °C

Surfaces and materials

Wood raised beds
Metal raised beds
Decomposed granite
Compost mulch
Trellis
Woven wattle fence
Reclaimed brick

Works well when

You want to grow food
It gets sun for most of the day
You enjoy hands-on gardening
The space is sheltered and warm
Young children play there

Think twice when

You want low maintenance
It is shaded for most of the day
Deer or rabbits visit

Common questions

How big should a vegetable bed be?

4 feet (1.2 m) wide so you can reach the middle from either side, and as long as suits the space, often 8 feet (2.4 m). Wider beds mean stepping on the soil, which compacts it.

What should I grow first?

Start with what you eat most and what tastes best fresh: lettuce, herbs, tomatoes, zucchini and pole beans are productive and forgiving. Add perennial fruit like strawberries and raspberries once the beds are in.

How do I keep deer and rabbits out?

A fence is the only reliable answer. Rabbits need about 2 feet (60 cm) of fine mesh with the bottom buried a few inches; deer need 7 to 8 feet (2.1–2.4 m), or a double fence. Netting over individual beds works for small gardens.