4x8 Raised Bed Layout Ideas

A 4 by 8 foot bed is the most common raised bed size in the US: two 8-foot boards and a third cut in half. It gives you 32 square feet, narrow enough to reach the middle from either side. Each plan below is drawn with the top row as the north side, so tall crops don't shade the rest. You can load any of them into the raised bed planner from the Examples menu, then change it to fit your bed.

1. Salsa and sauce bed

Key and counts: Tom Tomato (staked) (4 sq, 4 plants); Pep Pepper (6 sq, 6 plants); Car Carrot (4 sq, 64 plants); Oni Onion (bulb) (4 sq, 36 plants); Scl Scallion (2 sq, 32 plants); Bas Basil (4 sq, 16 plants); Prs Parsley (1 sq, 4 plants); Cil Cilantro (3 sq, 27 plants); Mar Marigold (4 sq, 16 plants).

Four staked tomatoes and four peppers line the north edge. Basil, parsley and marigolds fill the row in front, and onions, scallions, carrots and cilantro take the two front rows. Everything here is a summer crop, so plant after your last frost. If you prefer more peppers, swap the two carrot squares in the third row.

2. Salad and roots bed

Key and counts: Pea Pea (trellised) (8 sq, 64 plants); Let Lettuce (4 sq, 16 plants); Spi Spinach (2 sq, 18 plants); Chd Swiss chard (2 sq, 8 plants); Aru Arugula (2 sq, 18 plants); Bok Bok choy (2 sq, 8 plants); Bet Beet (3 sq, 27 plants); Car Carrot (3 sq, 48 plants); Rad Radish (3 sq, 48 plants); Scl Scallion (3 sq, 48 plants).

A row of peas on a trellis along the north edge, with lettuce, spinach, chard, arugula, bok choy and roots in front. It is a cool-season plan for spring or fall. Radishes are ready in about a month, so resow them or replace them with more lettuce. Note there are no onions or chives near the peas; scallions sit in the front row instead.

3. Three Sisters style bed

Key and counts: Zuc Zucchini / summer squash (4 sq, 2 plants); WSq Winter squash (8 sq, 4 plants); Crn Sweet corn (12 sq, 48 plants); PBn Pole bean (4 sq, 32 plants); Mar Marigold (2 sq, 8 plants); Nas Nasturtium (2 sq, 2 plants).

Sweet corn in a two-row block (corn pollinates better in a block than in a single line), with pole beans climbing four of the stalks. Winter squash and zucchini fill the front half, with nasturtiums and marigolds between them. Squash vines will spill over the front edge; that is expected. This plan needs a long, warm season.

Choosing a layout for your bed

• Sun first. Fruiting crops (tomatoes, peppers, squash, corn) need full sun. Leafy greens and roots tolerate a bit of shade.
• One season per bed is simplest. Mixing cool and warm crops works, but plan which squares get replanted when the cool crops finish.
• Leave a square or two open for succession sowing of lettuce, radish or beans.
• Other sizes: a 4 by 4 bed is half of any plan above; a 3 by 6 bed works well with the same rows shortened. The planner accepts any size up to 12 by 40 feet.

Need the numbers behind these plans? See the spacing chart and the companion planting chart, or start your own layout in the planner.