Raised Bed Layout Planner
Pick your bed size, tap a crop, and paint it onto the grid. Standard square-foot-gardening densities, automatic plant counts, and a depth check — free, no sign-up.
1. Tap a crop → 2. Tap squares to plant it. Tap the eraser to clear squares.
Your plan
How to use the layout planner
Set your bed's footprint (each grid square is 1×1 ft), then select a crop from the palette and click the squares where you want it. The planner totals how many plants each square holds using standard square-foot-gardening densities — 1 tomato per square, 4 lettuce, 16 carrots, and so on — and warns you if a crop in your plan needs a deeper bed than most kits provide. Your layout saves automatically in your browser.
Not sure what size to plan for? Run the bed size calculator first, then come back — and once the layout is set, the soil calculator tells you exactly how much mix to buy for it.
Plants per square foot (the cheat sheet)
| Density | Crops | Min. depth |
|---|---|---|
| 1 / square | Tomato, pepper, broccoli, kale, eggplant | 14–18 in |
| 2 / square | Cucumber (trellised) | 12 in |
| 4 / square | Lettuce, basil, strawberry, chard, marigold | 6–10 in |
| 8–9 / square | Bush beans, peas, spinach, beets, onions, garlic | 6–10 in |
| 16 / square | Carrots, radishes | 6–12 in |
Full spacing detail (including row-style planting) in the raised bed plant spacing chart. Depth guidance per crop in how deep should a raised bed be.
Three layout rules that actually matter
- Tall crops go north. Tomatoes, trellised cucumbers, and peas on the north edge so they never shade shorter neighbors.
- Reach every square. Never plan a bed wider than 4 ft if you can walk both sides — 3 ft if it's against a fence. (Why? See the bed size guide.)
- Leave 2–3 squares empty. Succession planting — a new square of lettuce every two weeks — beats planting everything at once and drowning in June salad.
Still need the bed itself? Compare the kits we actually recommend.
Shop raised garden bed kits on Amazon →Or read the guides: Best beds 2026 · Best metal · Best cedar
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Frequently asked questions
What is square foot gardening?
Square foot gardening divides a raised bed into a grid of 1×1 ft squares and plants each square at a fixed density — 1 tomato, 4 lettuce, 9 beets, or 16 carrots per square, depending on plant size. It maximizes harvest from small spaces, simplifies spacing decisions, and makes succession planting easy. The planner above uses standard square-foot densities.
How many plants can I grow per square foot?
The classic densities: 1 per square for large plants (tomato, pepper, broccoli), 2 for sprawling vines like cucumber, 4 for mid-size plants (lettuce, basil, strawberry), 8–9 for compact crops (bush beans, spinach, beets, onions), and 16 for small root crops (carrots, radishes).
What is the best layout for a 4x8 raised garden bed?
Put tall crops (tomatoes, trellised cucumbers, peas) along the north edge so they do not shade the rest, mid-height crops (peppers, kale, broccoli) in the middle rows, and low, fast crops (lettuce, radishes, carrots) along the south edge. A 4×8 bed gives you 32 squares — enough for a family salad garden with room for succession planting.
How deep does my bed need to be for these crops?
Greens and herbs need 6–8 inches, most vegetables 10–12 inches, and tomatoes, peppers, and long carrots are happiest at 14–18 inches. The planner flags the deepest-rooted crop in your layout so you can check your bed clears it.
Is this garden planner really free?
Yes — no sign-up, no email, no paywall. Your layout saves in your browser automatically. If you want plant identification, disease diagnosis, and watering schedules for what you plant, our free GardenGenius iOS app picks up where the planner leaves off.