Choose the Right Layout for Your Garden Space

Once you've selected the best location for your garden, the next step to creating a space you love is picking a layout for your raised beds.

A large part of choosing a layout comes down to the size and shape of space you have available for the garden. Don't worry if you only have a small or really narrow area. I've designed hundreds of gardens in all different types of yards, and I can tell you, there's a garden layout that will work for just about everyone!

Go measure your space, jot down the dimensions, and then keep reading to pick a garden layout.

A Narrow Space at Least 1.5 Ft. Wide by 6 Ft. Long

If you only have a little bit of space to work with, then a border garden is the layout for you. This is actually the most popular garden layout for my garden design company, and that's because so many of us are limited in outdoor space.

A border garden makes the most of an area that's currently not being used, such as that random strip of grass next to your driveway or along your fence line. It's also the best layout to use if you have more outdoor space but want to reserve it for other uses by keeping your garden along the perimeter.

To make the most of this layout, you'll need at least 1.5 feet of width and at least 6 feet in length. If your space is a little wider, I recommend limiting the raised bed width to 2.5 to 3 feet. That's typically about how far you can reach inside a raised bed to tend and harvest comfortably when the other side is up against your home or another structure.

For length, your garden can be as long as your space allows, but I recommend keeping each raised bed to 10 feet long max. If you go any longer, the middle of the bed tends to bow once you add the weight of the soil. You could do several raised beds end to end, either leaving a little bit of space in between them or pushing them right up next to each other.

Increase your growing space by adding panel trellises along the back of your raised beds or place obelisk trellises every couple of feet down the middle.

A Small Space at Least 6 by 12 Ft.

If you have a rectangular space that's at least 6 feet by 12 feet, you have room for two raised beds that will be accessible from all sides. Unless you're designing a border garden, you typically don't want to have just one raised bed all by itself in the middle of your yard. I almost always go with at least two beds unless the landscape just doesn't allow it.

This garden layout allows you to make the most of a space that’s longer than it is deep. Your raised beds will be positioned end to end. If your space allows, you can stretch your raised beds to 3 to 4 feet wide now that you can access your garden from all sides. You'll still want to keep your raised beds around 8 to 10 feet long, max.

Make sure to leave 2 to 3 feet in between the raised garden beds, and then add a walkway around the perimeter of the garden so that you can tend your plants from all sides.

I recommend doing one to three obelisk trellises in each raised bed, depending on the length of your raised beds.

A Medium Space About 10 by 12 Ft.

Here's another layout to make use of a rectangular space. This time, instead of having your raised beds end to end, they'll be side by side.

Again, leave a 2- to 3-feet-wide pathway between the two raised garden beds, and then add a walkway around the perimeter of the garden. Your raised beds should be 2 to 3 feet wide and 8 to 10 feet long to make the most of your space.

The great thing about having two raised beds side by side is that you can connect them with an arch trellis. I love to do two arch trellises in between twin beds, one at the front and another at the back.

A Square Space About 14 Ft. Wide

This simple garden layout takes inspiration from historical kitchen gardens. You could fill a square space with four 4x4 raised beds. You'll have at least 2 feet to move around between each raised bed, plus a 2-foot-wide pathway around the perimeter of your garden.

Increase your growing space by placing a large obelisk trellis in the middle of each raised bed.

A Square or Circular Space at Least 15 Ft. Across

If you have a medium to large space that's roughly round or square, then you have the perfect spot for what I call a garden trio. The goal is to form a circle with your garden beds, with 2-foot-wide pathways in between the three beds.

This design always looks super impressive—there's a reason designers like to use groups of three, after all. The downside is that you'll need to have the beds custom made to work with this layout.

When I design a round garden, I typically add three obelisk trellises to each raised bed or use three arch trellises to connect the beds.

A Large Rectangular Space at Least 15 Ft. Wide

You've officially got room for my very favorite garden layout: four rectangular raised beds. I love to connect the beds that are side by side with arch trellises. The effect is to create an outdoor room with two grand entrances. You'll feel like you're in a garden oasis when you're inside this layout.

An Extra-Large Space at Least 20 Ft. Wide

If you've got a spot in your yard at least 20 feet wide and long, then you've got room for what we call a formal potager. This is a more complicated layout involving four L-shaped raised beds with something in the center of the garden—that could be anything from an extra raised bed or two to a seating area.

It can be hard to find an L-shaped raised bed kit, so you might need to make the raised beds yourself or hire a carpenter or metal worker to build them for you.

What I really love to do with this layout is put an arch trellis between each raised bed so that there's a beautiful vine-covered feature on every single side of the garden.

Which of These Layouts Suits Your Landscape Best?

Once you've got your layout, you just have to make a couple of design decisions and order your materials, and then you're ready to install your garden!

If you'd like a little more guidance before you move on to the next part of your garden planning, I recommend grabbing a copy of my book Kitchen Garden Revival, which dives way deeper into raised garden design. You could also enroll in our kitchen garden design course, Kitchen Garden Academy. For maximum guidance, fill out our consultant form to see if there's a Gardenary-trained garden design expert near you.

I'd be thrilled to help you in some capacity every step of the way, from designing your garden to taking your first harvest!