A 4x8-foot raised bed is the best size for a first vegetable garden. It gives you 32 square feet: enough for tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, salad greens and root crops, yet small enough to water, weed and reach from the sides without ever stepping on the soil. Split the bed into 32 one-foot squares, put tall crops on a trellis along the north side, and plant each square with a set number of seeds. The plan below fills every square with varieties from our Seed Safe Beginner Garden Kit, with a spring round and a summer round.
Why a 4x8 bed works for beginners
- You can reach everything. At 4 feet wide, the middle is 2 feet from either side, so you never walk on the bed and pack the soil down.
- It fits standard lumber. Two 8-foot boards and one more cut in half make the frame.
- The soil is yours. You fill it with good soil and compost instead of fighting clay or rocks. At 12 inches deep a 4x8 bed holds 32 cubic feet, a little over 1 cubic yard.
- It's a manageable amount of work. Most first gardens fail from being too big, not too small. One well-kept bed beats three weedy ones.
Pick the sunniest spot you have: at least 6 hours of direct sun, 8 for tomatoes and peppers. Run the bed east to west if you can, so the trellis on the north side doesn't shade the rest.
The 4x8 garden plan (32 squares)
Mark the bed into a 4-by-8 grid of one-foot squares with string or thin wood strips. Each square gets one crop. The number of plants per square comes from the plant's mature size: big plants get a whole square, small ones share it.
| Squares | Crop (Seed Safe variety) | Plants per square | When to plant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (north edge, trellis) | Pea, Oregon Giant, then Pole Bean, Kentucky Wonder | 8 | Peas 4-6 weeks before last frost; beans after frost |
| 2 (north edge, trellis) | Cucumber, Straight Eight | 2 | 1-2 weeks after last frost |
| 4 (north row) | Tomato, Ace 55 VF and Rio Grande (2 plants, 2 squares each) | 1 per 2 squares | Transplant 1-2 weeks after last frost |
| 2 | Pepper, Cubanelle | 1 | Transplant 2 weeks after last frost |
| 1 | Eggplant, Long Purple | 1 | Transplant 2 weeks after last frost |
| 2 | Kale, Dwarf Siberian Improved | 1 | 2-4 weeks before last frost |
| 2 | Swiss Chard, Barese | 4 | 2-3 weeks before last frost |
| 4 | Lettuce: Great Lakes 659, Cimmaron, Oakleaf Red, Tom Thumb | 4 | 2-4 weeks before last frost; again late summer |
| 2 | Spinach, Viroflay | 9 | 4-6 weeks before last frost; again in fall |
| 2 | Carrot, Royal Chantenay | 16 | 2-4 weeks before last frost |
| 2 | Beet, Cylindra | 9 | 2-4 weeks before last frost |
| 2 | Radish, Champion | 16 | 4 weeks before last frost, every 2 weeks |
| 1 | Parsley, Triple Curled | 4 | Around last frost |
| 1 | Cilantro, Long Standing | 4 | 1-2 weeks before last frost |
| 1 | Leek, American Flag | 9 | Transplant 2-4 weeks before last frost |
Counts are plants after thinning. Sow 2-3 seeds per spot, then snip the extras at soil level once they have true leaves. Not sure how to time all this? Our seed starting calendar by last frost date turns your frost date into a planting schedule.
Spring, summer and fall in the same bed
A small bed earns its keep by being planted more than once.
- Early spring: peas on the trellis, plus lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots, beets, kale, chard and leeks. These handle light frost.
- After your last frost: tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants go in, and cucumber seeds go along the trellis. When the peas finish in early summer, pull them and sow Kentucky Wonder pole beans in the same squares.
- Midsummer: as radishes, spinach and lettuce bolt in the heat, pull them and resow radishes or leave the squares for fall.
- Late summer: resow lettuce, spinach and radishes, and try Roquette arugula in a spare square, 6-8 weeks before your first fall frost for a second harvest.
What to leave out of a 4x8 bed
Some crops are great, just not in one small bed:
- Sprawling vines like True Green Hubbard squash and honeydew melon can each cover 20-50 square feet. Grow them in their own patch or at the edge of the yard. If you want to try, see how to grow squash in pots or a raised bed.
- Perennials like asparagus and artichoke stay in the ground for years and need a bed of their own.
- Slow cabbage-family crops (broccoli, cabbage, collards) take a full square each for 2-3 months. Swap them in for kale if you'd rather grow them.
Save those seeds for a second bed next year. Kept sealed, cool and dry, they hold up well: see how to store seeds long-term.
Soil, water and support
- Soil: fill the bed with a blend of good topsoil and compost, not straight bagged potting mix, which dries out fast in a bed this size. More detail: how to improve soil for gardening.
- Water: about 1 inch a week, more in hot weather. Water the soil, not the leaves, and mulch around tomatoes and peppers once the soil is warm.
- Trellis: a 6-foot panel of cattle fencing or netting along the north edge holds peas, pole beans and cucumbers. Read how to grow cucumbers in a raised bed for setup tips.
- Tomato support: Ace 55 and Rio Grande are bushy determinate types; a sturdy cage or stake keeps them upright. See are Ace 55 tomatoes determinate?
Starting the seeds
Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and leeks are easiest started indoors 6-10 weeks before your last frost, then moved out as transplants. Everything else in the plan is sown straight into the bed. Our step-by-step guide to starting vegetable seeds indoors covers lights, trays and hardening off. If you only want tomatoes or peppers, the 8 Tomato Variety Pack and Pepper Seed Starter Kit are smaller options; for a salad-only bed, try the Lettuce and Leafy Greens Starter Kit.
Comparing kits? Best heirloom seed kit for beginners matches kits to garden size, and you can browse all our seed starter kits or individual seed packets.
FAQ
How much food does a 4x8 raised bed grow?
Enough for regular salads from spring to fall, plus a steady summer supply of tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and peppers for one or two people. Planting each square twice (spring and summer or fall) roughly doubles what a single planting gives.
How deep should a 4x8 raised bed be?
8-12 inches works for everything in this plan. Go 12 inches if the ground below is hard clay, so carrots and tomato roots have room.
Do I have to plant every seed in the packet?
No. A packet usually holds far more seeds than one bed needs. Plant what fits the squares and keep the rest for succession sowing and next year. More on that in do I plant the whole packet of seeds?
Which way should a raised bed face?
Run the long side east to west when possible, with tall crops on the north edge so they don't shade the shorter ones. If the bed must run north to south, put the trellis on the end that shades the least.
More answers about our seeds and shipping are on our FAQ page.
Reviewed by Ryan, owner of Gardeners Basics, an heirloom seed company that ships from Spanish Fork, Utah.
