How to Plan and Plant Your Raised Garden Bed

How to Plan and Plant Your Raised Garden Bed

If you’re new to gardening or have just built a raised garden bed, you might be asking yourself: “How do I decide where to plant everything?” I’ve got you covered! In this blog post, I’ll walk you through my step-by-step process for planning and planting a raised garden bed. From sunlight and plant height to spacing and square-foot gardening guidelines, you’ll learn how to make your bed as productive as possible. I’ll also share how I’m planting up my own raised garden bed, so you can see these tips in action.

Watch the video version of this guide:

Site Prep: Starting with a Blank Canvas

I just cleaned out a section of my garden that has a raised bed measuring 8 feet long by 3 feet wide, with a cattle panel trellis behind it. This bed is a blank canvas—ready to be planted! Here’s what I considered before putting any seeds or transplants in the ground.

Step 1: Assess Your Sunlight

1. Observe Your Garden
   Watch how much sunlight the spot receives throughout the day. Most vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers) need 6–8 hours of direct sun.
2. Match Plants to Light
   • Full Sun: Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers - plant these in the sunniest part of your raised garden bed.
   • Partial Shade: Leafy greens like lettuce, spinach - plant these in areas that get 4-6 hours of sun.
   • Shade-Tolerant: Some herbs, kale, and other cool season greens - plant in a spot that gets bright morning sun with some afternoon shade.
3. Ideal Bed Orientation
   If possible, orient beds or rows north to south to capture the most sunlight. If you can’t change the layout, just make the best of the space you have.

Step 2: Plan for Height

• Taller Crops in the Back
  Tomatoes, pole beans, or trellised cucumbers go at the back of the bed so they don’t overshadow shorter plants.
• Medium Crops in the Middle
  Peppers or bush beans, for example, fit nicely in the center.
• Short Crops in Front
  Carrots, radishes, or other low-growing plants do best at the front.
• Use Vertical Space
  Add a trellis at the back for vining crops (cucumbers, peas, squash). Vining squash can also be planted along edges to spill out and maximize space. Watch my YouTube video tutorial on how I build my vertical garden trellis systems HERE. 

Step 3: Consider Spacing

1. Check Plant Requirements
   Each crop has unique spacing needs—read seed packets or plant tags.
2. Prevent Overcrowding
   Enough space ensures good airflow, less disease, and better harvests.
3. Examples
   • Carrots: 3–4 inches apart
   • Tomatoes: At least 1 foot apart, but 2–3 feet is even better for airflow and disease prevention

Step 4: Use Square-Foot Gardening Guidelines

Square-foot gardening is an easy way to maximize space:

• Divide your bed into 1-foot squares.
• Plant crops based on how many fit in each square.
  • 16 radishes per square foot
  • 9 spinach plants per square foot
  • 1 tomato per square foot

I have a detailed list on my website showing how many plants of each type can fit into one square foot. View the list HERE. 

Step 5: Group Plants with Similar Needs

• Consistent Water & Nutrients
  Tomatoes and peppers are nutrient hungry plants, so plant them close together so you can fertilize them all at once. 
• Leafy Greens
  Lettuce, kale, and spinach thrive in partial shade with higher nitrogen. Nitrogen promotes lush, leafy green growth, so plant these together so you fertilize with nitrogen at once. 
• Herbs in Drier Soil
  Herbs prefer well-drained soil, so they often do best in containers or grow bags. Find the same heavy duty grow bags I use in my garden on Amazon HERE.

Step 6: Think About Crop Rotation

• Why Rotate?
  Planting the same crop in the same spot every year can lead to soil depletion and increased pests or diseases.
• Example: Tomato Blight
  If tomatoes consistently get blight, the spores build up in the soil.
• Practical Tips
  • Don’t grow the same crop in the same soil for at least 3 years.
  • Cover the bed with weed blocker after a season to heat the soil and kill pathogens.
  • Use temporary grow bags with fresh soil for tomatoes the following season.

Step 7: Leave Room to Access Your Plants

• Create Walkways
  You’ll need space to water, weed, harvest, or use a wheelbarrow. I really like my walkways to be 4-3FT wide.
• Ideal Bed Width
  A 4 foot wide maximum length for the width of a garden bed is standard. It is perfect for most people to reach across without stepping on the soil.
• Avoid Soil Compaction
  Don’t walk on your growing space. Compacted soil reduces healthy root growth.

Planting the Garden Space

Now, here’s how I applied these steps in my own raised bed:

1. Mark Rows or Squares
   • My bed is 8 ft x 3 ft, so I divided it into rows spaced 12 inches apart. I used a stock to press down into the soil to mark the rows and make my squares.
2. Sort Your Seeds and Plants by Height
   • Tall Vining Crops: Pole beans, peas, cucumbers, melons (in a “tall pile”)
   • Medium-Height Crops: Peppers, bush beans, broccoli, dwarf tomatoes
   • Short Crops: Lettuces, radishes, bok choy
   • Edge Plants: Vining squash (so they can spill out)
   • Herbs: Grouped together for drier soil conditions
3. Extend the Bed & Block Weeds
   • I laid down weed blocker around the bed to keep out crab grass and Bermuda grass.
   • I also plan to place a row of grow bags on top of this material to grow herbs.

Direct Sowing Seeds

I’m direct sowing seeds rather than transplanting. It’s often simpler for beginners and helps plants establish faster—unless critters or specific seed requirements complicate things. Below is what I planted in my bed. You can get a map of how I planted the bed HERE. 

1. Back Row (Trellis): Peas
   • Green Arrow Sweet Shelling Peas: Dig a shallow trench, sprinkle seeds, and cover with 1 inch of soil.
   • I don’t fuss over perfect spacing here, as peas can be planted fairly close.
2. Middle Row: Medium-Height Crops
   • Mustards, chicory, radicchio, celtuce, and Chinese celery.
   • Spaced about 12 inches apart because they spread out.
3. Front Row: Smaller Crops
   • Chinese broccoli, hon tsai tsi (flowering mustard), spaced 8 inches apart.
   • Lettuces and bunching onions interplanted (every 8 inches).
4. On the Bed Edge
   • Zucchini so it can vine out and fill the open area.
   • Flowers (Zinnias, Agastache, Liatris) along the edges to attract pollinators and fill in empty spaces.
5. Herbs in Grow Bags
   • In Florida’s wet climate, herbs do best in containers or grow bags that drain quickly.

Keep Soil Moist for Germination

After planting, water thoroughly and keep the soil moist. Seeds need consistent moisture to break their seed coats and germinate. Check daily to ensure seedlings don’t dry out.

In just a few minutes, my raised garden bed was planted and ready to grow. Within a couple of months, I’ll have a bed full of fresh greens, peas, and more. I hope these tips help you analyze your own growing space and plan it effectively to maximize your harvest.