4x8 raised bed layouts

Two planting plans for a 4 × 8 ft (1.2 × 2.4 m) bed, square by square. Swap crops and move them about to suit your garden.

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Bed size, shape and units

Bed name Width Length

Units

metresfeet

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The two plans

Tomato bed

1.2 × 2.4 m (4 × 8 ft), 32 squares

Tomatoes and peppers with basil, dwarf beans and salads for a sunny spot.

Crop	Squares	Plants
Tomato	4	4
Basil	3	12
French marigold	1	4
Sweet pepper (bell pepper)	2	2
Chilli (chili pepper)	2	2
French bean (green bean)	4	36
Cucumber	2	2
Lettuce	2	8
Carrot	2	32
Radish	1	16
Coriander (cilantro)	1	9
Beetroot (beet)	2	18
Salad leaves (salad mix)	2	32
Chard	2	8
Parsley	1	4
Nasturtium	1	1

Tomatoes run along the north end so they don't shade the rest. Grow cordon varieties up canes, one to a square.
Basil and marigolds sit next to the tomatoes, and the beans are dwarf ones, so nothing in front grows tall.
Plant the tomatoes, peppers, beans and cucumbers out after your last frost. The salads and roots can go in a few weeks before.

Early crops bed

1.2 × 2.4 m (4 × 8 ft), 32 squares

Peas, broad beans, salads, kale and roots: hardy crops you can sow from early spring.

Crop	Squares	Plants
Pea	4	36
Broad bean (fava bean)	4	16
Kale	2	2
Chard	2	8
Lettuce	4	16
Spinach	2	18
Onion	2	32
Carrot	2	32
Beetroot (beet)	2	18
Radish	1	16
Spring onion (scallion)	1	16
Salad leaves (salad mix)	2	32
Rocket (arugula)	2	8
Coriander (cilantro)	1	9
Parsley	1	4

Everything here is hardy, so sowing can start a few weeks before your last frost.
Peas climb netting or pea sticks at the north end, with broad beans in front.
When the peas and broad beans finish in early summer, follow them with French beans or late salads.

Open this layout

Planting a 4x8 bed

Mark out the squares. String or thin battens across the bed make it easy to sow a square at a time.
Sow little and often. A square of radishes or salad every couple of weeks gives a steady supply instead of a glut.
How much soil. At 20 cm (8 in) deep, a 4x8 bed takes about 0.6 m³ (21 cu ft) of soil and compost.

Work out the soil for other sizes with the raised bed soil calculator, or read how to plan a raised bed.

Questions

How many plants fit in a 4x8 raised bed?

It depends on the crop. In 32 squares of 1 ft, each square holds 1 tomato, pepper or kale plant, 4 lettuces, 9 beetroot or dwarf beans, or 16 carrots or radishes. A courgette takes 4 squares.

What should I plant in my first 4x8 raised bed?

Crops that are easy and keep giving: tomatoes, dwarf French beans, lettuce, chard, beetroot, radishes, carrots and a few herbs. The tomato bed above uses all of them.

Which way should a 4x8 raised bed face?

Run it north to south if you can, so both long sides get sun through the day, and put tall crops at the north end.

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