Last Updated on September 13, 2026
4×8 Raised Bed Garden Layout: 32 Squares, 12 Crops, With a Plan
A 4×8 raised bed is 32 square feet, the size I build most, and this layout fills it with twelve crops: one tomato on a 2×2 block, one square each of cucumbers and peas on a trellis along the north edge, three peppers, three kale, two squares of onions, three of bush beans, three of beets, three of carrots, three basil, three of lettuce and three of spinach. That is 1 tomato, 2 cucumbers, 8 peas, 3 peppers, 3 kale, 8 onions, 27 beans, 27 beets, 48 carrots, 3 basil, 12 lettuce and 27 spinach plants.
What goes in each square
| Crop | Squares | Per square | Plants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | 4 | 1 per 4 squares | 1, staked or caged |
| Cucumber | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Peas | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Pepper | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Kale | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Onion | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Beans | 3 | 9 | 27 |
| Beets | 3 | 9 | 27 |
| Carrots | 3 | 16 | 48 |
| Basil | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Lettuce | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| Spinach | 3 | 9 | 27 |
Every number comes from the square foot gardening chart; the linked crop pages show the planting pattern for each square.
Why the crops sit where they do
Everything that climbs is on the north edge: the tomato block in the corner, then cucumbers and peas on a string trellis. That is the one rule in this bed I would not break, because a trellis on the south side shades half of what is behind it by August. The peppers and kale, the next tallest, sit in the row below. Roots and greens fill the southern half in threes, which is enough of each for a family to eat from without a glut.
Three squares of bush beans is a good number; nine would come in all at once. Three squares of carrots is 48 carrots, which sounds like a lot until you pull them at the size of a finger for the first thinning.
When to plant them, counted from your last frost
These are the windows the Plan My Garden planner uses for every crop in this bed, in weeks from your average last spring frost. Put your date into the seed starting calendar to turn them into dates, or let the planner do it from your zip code.
| Crop | Start indoors | Transplant out | Direct sow | Days to maturity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | 5 to 3 weeks before | 2 to 3 weeks after | n/a | 80 |
| Cucumber | 3 to 1 weeks before | 2 to 3 weeks after | n/a | 60 |
| Peas | n/a | n/a | 8 weeks before to 2 weeks after | 65 |
| Pepper | 6 weeks before | 2 to 3 weeks after | n/a | 75 |
| Kale | 10 to 8 weeks before | 4 to 2 weeks before | n/a | 55 |
| Onion | 12 to 11 weeks before | 4 to 2 weeks before | n/a | 100 |
| Beans | n/a | n/a | 1 to 3 weeks after | 60 |
| Beets | n/a | n/a | 8 weeks before to 4 weeks after | 55 |
| Carrots | n/a | n/a | 3 to 2 weeks before | 70 |
| Basil | 5 to 4 weeks before | 3 weeks after | n/a | 60 |
| Lettuce | 8 to 6 weeks before | 4 to 3 weeks before | n/a | 45 |
| Spinach | n/a | n/a | 8 to 1 weeks before | 40 |
Make it your own
If you do not want a tomato block, four squares of cucumbers or pole beans on the trellis use the same space. Onions can go to four squares if you store them. In a hot climate, drop the peas and spinach and give the squares to peppers and basil.
Open this exact plan to see the layout and crop list in the planner, then start your own for free: enter your zip code, draw your bed, pick your crops, and it lays out the squares and gives you the dates.
Where I get seed
Most of what is in this bed I grow from Wood Prairie Family Farm, a certified organic seed farm in Maine. Code PMG5 takes 5% off. Buying through that link supports this site at no cost to you.
Quick questions
How many plants fit in a 4×8 raised bed?
With square foot spacing, 32 squares hold anywhere from 32 large plants to 512 carrots. This mixed layout holds 169 plants across twelve crops, including 48 carrots, 27 beets and 27 spinach.
Which side of a 4×8 bed should the trellis go on?
The north side, so the tall crops shade the path and not the bed. If your bed runs east to west, the trellis goes along the long north edge; if it runs north to south, put it across the north end.
How many tomato plants fit in a 4×8 bed?
One per four squares unpruned, so up to eight if the whole bed is tomatoes. In a mixed bed like this one, a single 2×2 block on the north edge is plenty; pruned to one stem you can fit one per square along the trellis.
