Raised Bed Garden Layout Planner
Enter your bed size, paint in vegetables square by square, and get companion warnings plus a plant-count shopping list you can print. Free, in your browser, nothing to install.
Top edge = north side. Tall and trellised crops usually go there so they don't shade the rest.
Shopping list
How to plan a raised bed with this tool
- Set the bed size. Type the width and length in feet. Each square on the grid is one square foot. A common 4 by 8 foot bed gives you 32 squares.
- Pick a plant from the list (or search for it), then tap or drag across squares to fill them. On a computer you can also drag a plant name straight onto a square. Tap a square again with the same plant to clear it.
- Check the companion notes. Squares that touch, on a side or at a corner, are treated as neighbors. Pairs that gardeners traditionally keep apart get a red outline and a short reason.
- Read the shopping list. The planner multiplies squares by the spacing for each crop, so 3 squares of carrots at 16 per square becomes 48 carrots to sow.
- Print it. “Print this bed” gives a clean one-page map with a legend and the list. Your plan also stays saved in this browser.
How the spacing works
The grid follows square-foot spacing: instead of long rows with wide paths, every square foot holds 1, 4, 9 or 16 plants depending on how big the crop gets. Large plants like tomatoes, peppers and broccoli take a whole square. Lettuce, chard and basil go 4 to a square. Beets, spinach and bush beans fit 9. Carrots, radishes and scallions fit 16. Sprawling squash and melons get 1 plant per 2 squares. The full table is on the square foot plant spacing chart.
These numbers suit loose, rich raised-bed soil and beds you can reach from both sides. If your soil is heavy or a variety is labeled extra large, give it more room than the chart says.
Tips for a better layout
- Tall crops north. The top edge of the grid is north. Put trellised peas, beans, cucumbers and tomatoes there so they don't shade low crops.
- Keep beds 4 feet wide or less so you can reach the middle from either side without stepping on the soil.
- Mix quick and slow crops. Radishes and lettuce are done before tomatoes and peppers fill out, so tuck them into the edges.
- Plan a few squares for flowers. Marigolds and nasturtiums are traditional border plants and make the bed easier to read.
- Rotate next year. Avoid putting the same crop family in the same squares two seasons running.
Want a starting point? See three tested 4x8 raised bed layouts or browse the companion planting chart.
- Unlimited beds in one plan, each with its own size, plus duplicate and delete.
- Combined shopping list across every bed, and a CSV download of the list and bed maps.
- PDF export: one printable page per bed map plus the full list, through your browser's Save as PDF.
- Save and open plan files, so you can keep this year's plan and rotate crops next season.
- Works offline in any modern browser, on desktop or phone. No account, no subscription, no renewal.
Questions
Is the free planner really free?
Yes. One bed at a time, any size up to 12 by 40 feet, with spacing, companion notes, the shopping list and printing. Nothing to sign up for.
What does Pro add?
Multiple beds in one plan, a shopping list that adds up every bed, PDF export with a page per bed, CSV download, and plan files you can save and reopen. It is a one-time $12 purchase, delivered as a single file that runs offline.
Where is my plan stored?
Only in your own browser's local storage. Nothing is uploaded. Clearing your browser data will clear the plan, so print it or (in Pro) save a plan file.
Are the companion rules scientific?
Most companion pairings come from long gardening tradition rather than controlled trials. Use them as prompts, not hard rules; spacing, sun, water and soil matter more.