Now's the Time to Start Planning Your Vegetable Garden Layout (2024)

To really make efficient use of your space, you can give square-foot gardening a go. SFG methods are great for any home gardeners who don't have much room to work with and are especially great for beginners. Typically, you'll start with a four-by-four-foot raised garden bed that's subdivided into one-foot squares using a lattice. You'll then plant an appropriate number of vegetables in each square.

Color coordination is always easy on the eyes—even in a vegetable garden! There's several ways to do it, too. Choose an ombré look, line them in rows based on complementary colors, and more. You can base their spots off the colors of their leaves or base it on the vegetables that will soon sprout.

Mix leafy greens, root crops, and herbs in a garden just steps from your home to make cooking with fresh ingredients as simple as can be. You could even sprinkle in edible flowers for the pollinators. For this idea, you'll want to replant throughout the season for a continuous supply of fresh food.

Short on space? Try various hanging pots, which works well for many different types of edibles including strawberries, herbs, and lettuce. Bonus: it keeps your plants away from animals in your garden such as bunnies!

A repurposed ladder makes the perfect foundation for lots of pots of herbs without taking up a ton of space on your patio or deck. It also accommodates different sizes of pots and window boxes, as shown here, for a pretty and appealing display.

If you don't have a dedicated garden plot, plant edibles alongside your flowers. There's always room to tuck pretty plants such as Swiss chard and nasturtium here and there throughout your garden. Plus, the local pollinators will thank you!

This layout is the most traditional, and it definitely is appealing! You can plant tight rows of plants that don't mind chilly weather such as lettuce, then pull them out when they go to seed as hot weather hits. Replant a heat lover such as beans in the same space.

Place various sizes of pots on the stairs leading to your home. The benefit is that each plant gets its own container so they're not competing for nutrients or moisture.

Many gardeners believe that by planting certain combinations of plants together, they're mutually beneficial—keeping away bad insects and attracting the good ones. Here, cabbage is interplanted with signet marigolds (also edible!) for a pretty and practical display.

Raised beds are the best way to deal with poor soil; they also warm up a bit faster in the spring than the ground. You can purchase one or DIY one from wood (don't use pressure-treated, which can leach chemicals) or concrete paver stones.

If hungry garden visitors keep munching on your produce, try this ingenious solution: Long metal containers, such as repurposed gutters, can be mounted to stakes. Just be sure to punch holes in the bottom of each container, and plant shallow-rooted veggies such as various types of leaf lettuce, creeping herbs such as thyme, or kale.

Simple shelves or a repurposed wooden pallet make a great hanging vegetable garden. Herbs and lettuce do especially well, and you won't have to share with the neighborhood critters because they can't reach!

This idea is inexpensive and so cute! Repurpose hanging shoe organizers (just make sure the material is porous or poke 3 to 4 holes in each plastic pocket) to grow shallow-rooted veggies such as lettuce. You'll also find fabric pockets specifically designed for planting.

Stock tanks keep having a moment! Why? They're nearly indestructible, last for years, and are just about the right height for comfortable access--especially if you have back issues. Look for bottomless tanks or poke lots of holes in a traditional stock tank for drainage.

Dress up windows in a pretty, practical way with a window box full of vegetables or herbs. You can also hang window boxes from deck railing to maximize your space.