Want to start growing your own vegetables at home, but you have no idea where to start? Perhaps you live in a small apartment or tiny house and think you simply don’t have the room for a traditional garden. Well, these vegetable garden layout ideas prove you can grow your own veggies in limited space, during winter months, and with all budgets.
These ideas are easy for any beginner gardener to follow. They also allow for all different types of gardens, no matter what space you have to work with. Read on to discover 25 stunning ideas to delight and inspire you.
1. Raised Garden Beds
A well-thought-out raised bed can be designed to take each vegetable’s purpose into account. Every row of tomatoes, for example, can be laid out based on how they’ll be used. Which tomatoes will be used for making sauces? How many will be sliced for sandwiches, or thrown into a salad? Etc.
Take into account which varieties you’d like to grow. Then estimate how many fruits will be used by each family member, and for what purpose. A little bit of math later, and you’ll know exactly how many plants to grow.
2. Vertical Pallet/Raised Bed Garden
If you have less room to grow a veggie garden, try a vertical pallet garden This raised bed supports vegetables so they can grow upwards. It’s an inexpensive option for beginners, full of easy-to grow veggies placed so as to complement one another.
With this vegetable garden layout, you have a square for each vegetable you grow. It’s perfect for those with smaller yards, and could also be placed on a sunny balcony for urban gardening.
3. Multiple Bed Plans for Large Families
A multiple raised bed garden is designed to grow enough food to feed a large family year-round. As you can imagine, you can grow a ton of food with this method.
The best part about this large garden layout is that you don’t have to worry as much about vegetable placement because most varieties won’t be planted in the same bed. This type of bed also allows you to add in some flowers around your vegetable patch. Furthermore, some herb and flower varieties can help keep pests away while encouraging beneficial pollinators.
4. 4×4 Square Foot Gardening
Square foot gardening is an easy option for beginners. If you don’t have room for more than one 4×4 raised garden bed, this is the vegetable garden layout for you. The veggies are placed to reduce overlap, allowing each plant to grow strong.
To begin square foot gardening, prepare a raised garden box. Instead of planting the vegetables in traditional rows, however, plant each veggie type in the individual squares. These are made to separate planting zones and use the space more efficiently.
5. Summer Veggie Garden Layout
This layout arranges all your popular summer vegetables so they thrive best. It’s ideal for allotment gardens, or zones that have short growing seasons.Arrange smaller veggies and herbs in the front, with pole beans cascading down the back.
- A. Pole beans
- B. Basil
- C. Lettuce
- D. Red-leaf lettuce
- E. Sauce tomatoes (e.g., Roma)
- F. Cherry tomatoes
- G. Slicing tomatoes
- H. Bush-type cucumbers
- I. Swiss chard
- J. Hot peppers
- K. Sweet peppers
6. Fall Veggie Garden Layout
If you enjoy autumn crops more than summer veggies, try a fall vegetable garden layout. This includes fall favorites from spinach and romaine to carrots and broccoli.\
7. Spring Veggie Garden Layout
This layout is ideal for a garden full of spring vegetables. Companion plants frame the garden, there’s a focal point in the center, and additions such as pathways and benches to create a stunning garden. You can easily pull this off if you live in a suburban area. The veggies have plenty of space to spread out, and you can truly enjoy spending time in this green oasis.
8. Large, Year-Round Veggie Garden Layout
This layout incorporates a huge, intensive garden to yield a maximum harvest. If you live in a temperate climate, this garden will grow throughout the spring, summer, and fall months. All you need is a medium amount of garden space, and the image tells you exactly where to plant each veggie to grow as much as possible.
9. Companion Planting Layouts
As I briefly mentioned above, companion plants are those that you can plant near each other to protect or compliment each other. You can produce a healthier harvest simply by planting these varieties in close proximity to each other. A perfect example of this would be a three sisters guild garden.
10. Traditional Vegetable Rows
This vegetable garden layout uses traditional rows, placing each vegetable type in its own row.The veggies are simple favorites, and you can add marigolds and sunflowers around the sides to add a nice pop of color.
11. Pallet Veggie Garden
Pallet gardens don’t have to be vertical! You can use them to create stunning garden beds in just a few quick steps. All you have to do is staple a cloth on the back of the pallet, and fill it up with soil. Try growing culinary herbs in the slots, especially if you can place this garden within a few steps from your kitchen.
12. Build Up the Wall
A stacked planter project requires a few artfully arranged crates. Attach these to a wall or wooden fence, and it’s perfect for small yards or urban gardening. Grow a different veggie in each planter and stack the boxes as far up as you possibly can. Alternatively, extend the boxes horizontally to create your own beautiful privacy fence.
13. Layer Containers Up the Wall
Instead of wooden crates, you can layer potted plants up your wall in inspirational ways. Get creative with the design, and you any vegetable you can grow in containers can take root right on the wall of your house. What’s great about this idea is that you can arrange containers to soak up the sunlight if your home doesn’t offer much direct light, or a yard is nonexistent.
14. Reuse Old Furniture
Reused furniture makes the perfect planter, such as this clever chair design. It’s a subtle upgrade that provides your porch with a pop of color while you grow vegetables in your cute planter. Just remove the seat of the chair and add a basket lined with coir, slap on a few coats of fresh paint, and fill the basket with veggies you can grow in a basket, such as peas, cucumbers, tomatoes lettuce, swiss chard, or even strawberries.
15. Dress Up a Dresser
Fill the drawers of an old dresser you’re no longer using to create a fun and cheap mini vegetable garden. If you don’t have a dresser, you can find an inexpensive one at a flea market or yard sale. Then, all you need to do is add a layer of paint, drill a few holes in the drawers, and fill them up with potting soil.
This type of upcycled planter looks great in urban settings. I suggest growing vegetables that do well in containers, including chives, lettuce, chard, mesclun greens, or spinach.
16. Recycle Plastic Bottles
What better way to recycle old plastic bottles than to use them to bring life to your garden! You can find the bottles just about anywhere, making this a really cheap garden solution. Best of all, you can use these planters indoors or outside.
You can also use tin cans, small colanders, pots, or any other type of reusable material that’s easy to plant vegetables in. Choose vegetables that grow well in containers for the best results.
17. Traditional Window Boxes
Window boxes work well when growing a wide range of plants, from succulents and flowers to vegetables and herbs. If space is an issue, or you only need to grow fixings for homemade salads, this is a perfect solution. Make sure to select veggies and herbs that grow well in shallow containers—like arugula, chives, basil, and spinach—and place the box in a sturdy window.
18. Recycled Tires
Rather than using wood or plastic to house your vegetables, you can create a vegetable garden using recycled tires. Seal up one side of the tire with a wooden slat to keep your plants in place. Then spray a few coats of colorful spray paint (if desired), and fill the tire with soil.
Lemon Bean and Things has an awesome tutorial you can use to build your own recycled tire planter, altering the types of plants you use.
19. Layered Boxes
Stack your raised garden boxes upward to save space. Tiers allow you to grow more vegetables in less space, and the designs look stunning. This Mayan Pyramid layout is a stylish way to grow salad greens, or strawberries and herbs. Best of all, you only need basic woodworking skills to create it.
20. Potato Tower
If your family loves potatoes, grow the vegetable exclusively in a vertical tower. It’s great for urban gardening or small yards, and is just made of chicken wire, support posts, straw, and soil.
21. Tiny Covered Greenhouse
A small, covered greenhouse is helpful if you want to grow vegetables throughout the year. It protects them from frost and colder weather, and provides protection against pests. Check out some of our mini greenhouse plans here.
22. Elbow Joint Vertical Garden
Similar to attaching containers on your wall to save space, you can create this elbow joint vertical garden. It’s perfect for veggies that grow in small containers, such as lettuce, peppers, peas, or other greens.
23. Concrete Block Garden
Planting smaller garden patches is easy with concrete blocks to separate the bed and create pathways. This layout utilizes a few small squares similar to raised garden beds. Additionally, concrete blocks are much easier for beginners to work with because they don’t require any woodworking skills.
24. Barrels, Tubs, and Other Containers
Barrels, tubs, and other containers work well when clustered together. You can use steel washtubs and old wooden barrels as planters or small raised garden boxes. Arrange them in your garden or set them on a porch if urban gardening is your style. Just don’t forget to add some drainage holes in the bottom, and choose veggies that grow well in containers for the best results.
25. Window Greenhouses
All you need to keep your crops safe from the cold is a few old windows arranged in an A-frame over your raised garden bed. Make your own cold frame greenhouse on a budget, and you’ll save space, and grow your own vegetables all year long—even in the colder months. This method is perfect for growing salad greens like chard, spinach, arugula, and lettuce, as well as leeks and cabbages.
Happy growing!
