Tips for a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

Raised bed vegetable gardening takes very little space and allows vegetables to be grown closer together. It's also a great solution for areas with poor native soil. Discover how to make the best use of your raised beds.

Keep in mind: Price and stock could change after publish date, and we may make money from these affiliate links.
Raised Bed Gardening

Raised Beds in Landscape Design

Garden designer P. Allen Smith incorporated formal raised vegetable beds into the landscape at his Garden Home in Little Rock.

Photo by: Hortus, Ltd./P. Allen Smith

Hortus, Ltd./P. Allen Smith

Garden designer P. Allen Smith incorporated formal raised vegetable beds into the landscape at his Garden Home in Little Rock.

Raised bed gardening is a great way to grow vegetables — especially if the native soil is poor or compacted or has poor drainage. And there's no bending over to pull weeds or harvest vegetables.

Size and Space

Choose a location that gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily, preferably more. If the site is not level, it will need to be leveled before building your raised bed. Ideally, the site will not be shaded by trees or have competition from tree roots in the soil. Remove lawn in the location before adding soil to the bed.

The ideal width of a raised bed is 3-4 feet, so that veggies will be within an arm's reach from either side. If you're siting a raised bed against a fence, wall or other backdrop, the width should be more narrow so you can reach to the back of the bed. The ideal length of the bed is limited only by your space and materials.

Easy DIYs

DIY Raised Garden Bed

All you need to build a stylish raised bed for your garden this year are some basic skills and tools. Check out these projects with step-by-step instructions.

Get Started

Soil and Drainage

Drainage in a raised bed is superior to that in an in-ground garden bed. A 12-inch-deep bed provides ample room for most vegetable roots.

The soil in raised beds warms up more quickly in spring so planting can be done earlier. And if the bed is narrow, 3 feet or less, there will be no need to step on the soil and thus it prevents compaction. It's much easier for roots to grow in loose soil.

If the raised bed sits directly on the soil, line the planting bed with hardware cloth or chicken wire at building time to prevent visits from burrowing animals such as gophers and moles.

Fill a raised bed with good quality raised bed soil, which can be a mix of native soil, compost and lightweight amendments such as peat and perlite that improve drainage.

Don't build a raised bed on a wooden deck: When the bed is full of soil and water, its weight could cause structural damage.

We're sorry, there seems to be an issue playing this video. Please refresh the page or try again in a moment. If you continue to have issues, please contact us here.

How to Start Raised Beds
Loading Video...

Materials for Raised Beds

The bed may be made of wood, stone, brick, metal, cinderblocks or any other material from which you can build a base at least 12 inches deep.

What to Grow

Almost any type of vegetables can be grown in raised beds, though most gardeners limit their raised beds to annuals only. Annual vegetables include most of the top crops for vegetable gardening, such as:

How to Grow Tomatoes in a Raised Bed

Are your tomato plants not getting enough drainage? Follow these steps on growing tomatoes in a raised bed.

How to Plant a Raised Bed Garden

  1. Fill the bed with good-quality garden soil and compost, and rake the surface smooth and level. Remove any rocks or debris.

  2. Plants in raised beds may be spaced a little closer together because there's no need to allow for walking space as in a row garden.

  3. Plant lettuce by poking holes in the soil with your finger at 6-inch intervals, and sprinkle a few seeds into each hole. Once the seeds germinate, thin to one seedling per hole.

  4. You can also broadcast seeds over the surface of the raised bed. If you plant carrots, apply fine-textured potting soil over the top of the seeds. Carrots will attract some species of butterflies to your raised beds.

  5. Cucumbers may be planted along the edge of the raised bed, where they can trail over the side.

  6. Water the garden well immediately after planting and apply mulch around plants to limit evaporation and control weeds.

More Raised Bed Ideas

How to Build an Architectural Raised Bed

This easy-to-construct design raises your garden to new heights. Paint it a fun color or leave the wood bare for a natural look.

Next Up

How to Grow Cucumbers

Get advice for planting, growing and harvesting cucumbers, including suggestions for types and varieties to grow, companion plants, plus tips for solving common cucumber problems.

How to Get Rid of Weeds

Make this garden chore fly by with these simple, fast and easy tips for getting rid of weeds. Plus, get advice for preventing weeds in the garden.

How to Build a Raised Garden Bed Step-by-Step

Take your garden to the next level with this complete plan and step-by-step instructions for an easy raised garden bed DIY project. Your plants (and wallet) will thank you.

What the Heck Is Hugelkultur?

Want to grow bigger plants with less water? Try hugelkultur gardening. Learn how these earth-friendly raised beds work.

How to Turn a Galvanized Tub Into a Raised Garden Bed

Turn a simple galvanized metal trough into a beautiful planter for a raised garden bed in just 12 easy steps.

How to Build Raised Garden Beds From Cedar Boards

Ready to get your garden started? Follow our step-by-step instructions to construct these easy, unique raised beds for flowers, vegetables and more.

The Easiest Way to Clean a Dishwasher

Learn how to safely clean a dishwasher. This simple trick involving vinegar will help you sanitize and sterilize your most-used appliance.

How to Design a Container Garden

Follow this simple design concept and boost the impact of your container gardens with plants of various sizes, textures and color combinations.

How to Plant and Grow Marigold Flowers

Easy-to-grow marigolds add bright yellow, gold, orange and creamy-white color to gardens and containers from spring into fall.

The Proper Way to Water Your Garden

Keep your plants happy. Here are the top 10 do's and don’ts for watering plants efficiently.

Go Shopping

Get product recommendations from HGTV editors, plus can’t-miss sales and deals.

On TV

Follow Us Everywhere

Join the party! Don't miss HGTV in your favorite social media feeds.