These vegetable garden ideas come from home gardens including my own. While some of them have larger yards (backyards and front yards), you really can grow vegetables in any size space.
I started out with a very narrow yard—just 8-feet wide—but made use of every inch with raised beds filled with vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
If you are planning to build your own veggie garden, there are lots of things to consider.
1. In-ground beds are the traditional way to grow and work fine if you have fairly flat terrain and good soil. You may have to remove grass lawn or debris to get started.
2. Raised beds are my favorite. Here are a few reasons why.
- Good solution for growing on slopes.
- You can put good soil right where you need it.
- Fewer critters dine on the crops.
- They can extend the growing season by retaining warmth and it’s easy to add covers.
- The added height reduces back strain.
If using raised beds, make sure you select the right wood, safe for food growing gardens.
3. Containers act just like raised beds on a smaller scale: you can control the soil and they are portable. However, the size can make them vulnerable to severe temperatures (hot and cold) and they require more attention for watering.
No matter what style you choose, also think about mulch around the beds, spacing for easy reach, walkways, how much soil will be needed (if filling containers), and the usual plant needs including light, water, and airflow. You may also need some sort of barrier or fencing to prevent animals from eating your crops.
There are always challenges, and no growing season is perfect for everything, but that’s half the adventure.
Be sure to see the Resources section for free raised bed building plans and more.
1. Rustic Yet Formal Vegetable Garden
This first garden has a beautiful combination of rustic and modern features. The garden was newly built when I photographed it. They did a great job creating the symmetrical layout of the garden plot. And I do love some rustic tool art.
This next one was in a different garden but has the same idea. Pea gravel is a popular choice for covering the ground around raised beds. I think no matter what you choose there will be compromises or struggles. Weeds mean business!
2. Shed With Raised Beds
This garden had several raised beds and all of them were quite tall (18″ or more) and filled with the most luscious soil. I love the branch trellis and other support for little climbers.
Here’s a look at an adjacent bed:
3. Real Bed Veggie Bed
This gardener was so artistic with wonderful projects throughout the space.
Here she used bed frames to define a veggie flower bed.
4. Square Raised Bed
Square or rectangular? That’s just one of many questions to ask when creating a raised bed.
Personally, I like a narrower bed so I can easily reach everything from one side.
But, that said, this one is going to look gorgeous with flowering vines growing around the branches.
These herb boxes are nicely spaced apart to make it much easier to work in the garden.
5. Narrow Front Yard Veggie Garden
This was the garden at my previous home. The entire front lawn was just 8 feet wide and sloped, so I installed a series of raised beds for veggies and flowers.
From the street it looked like a flower garden.
But I had just as many veggies in there as flowers. The green lawn belongs to the neighbor—otherwise I would have planted that too!
You can see more of this garden in a virtual tour here.
And it appears in the book, Gardening Your Front Yard by Tara Nolan.
6 . Country Vegetable Garden
I visited this garden on horse farm in the country. The whole arrangement was very pleasing.
This asparagus bed is bordered with angel stone and the pathways are filled with pea gravel.
It can be tricky to keep the weeds away in the long term with this setup but some say it’s not impossible.
7 . In Ground Veggies
If you have a large space and good soil, a traditional in-ground veggie garden is the way to go. I have terrible soil so I do all my veggies in raised beds where I can control the soil.
It’s traditional to plant in tidy rows but you don’t have to. The garden (above) has ample room for more vegetables like lettuces under the larger plants and flowering plants to attract pollinators.
8. Rustic Log Garden Beds
Tim-ber! This is fast and easy way to make use of fallen trees. Line the beds with raw logs. They will decompose slowly over time, doing many good things for the garden.
9. Keyhole Raised Beds
Keyhole gardens became popular a few years ago. This one has a sitting spot that can be moved along the beds. You could do the same thing though without having to join the beds, of course.
10. Fenced Traditional Garden
Depending on where you live, you will have different wild animals visit your garden. Here a low wire fence is used to keep out rabbits and groundhogs. Deer, however, are a whole other issue.
11. Colorful Obelisks
This little boxed garden has been blocked off, perhaps to stop rabbits or the family dog. I love the painted obelisks. Later in the season they will be covered in veggie vines.
12. Community Victory Garden
I love seeing thriving community gardens. It reminds me of the days when I longed for my own garden but did not have an option like this.
13. Patio Vegetable Container Garden
This combination of vegetables and ornamental plants is doing nicely on the patio by the pool:
This next one was also at my former home. I planted various herbs and veggies in the containers and had them near the front door for easy access. Plus, it was a good use of space on the concrete walkway. The brick wall provided warmth and the pots received just a few hours direct sun each day so they never dried out.
14. Vegetable Garden on a Slope
Raised beds or retaining walls are a must if you are gardening on a slope.
I’m guessing this garden (above) had issues with water running away.
15. Veggie Beds with Pea Gravel
I love a mixture of fruits, veggies, and flowers all in one space—and that’s biodiversity at its best, providing something for the wildlife we rely on from spring to fall.
16. White Garden Boxes
The white raised beds and climbers matched the style of this old Victorian country home. Beans, peas and other climbers are planted around the trellis.
17 . Clematis in Veggie Garden
What a wonderful focal point in the middle of veggie garden. This clematis just wants to keep on growing.
18. Raised Beds with Straw Mulch
If you have room, it is ideal to have enough space between beds to kneel with your legs on the ground. The measurement from the top of your knee to the bottom of your foot should be the minimum distance if possible.
Also, never make a raised bed wider than you can comfortably reach every part of it. You don’t ever want to stand inside and compact the soil or step on plants.
Straw is one option for mulching around veggie beds. Every type of mulch has pros and cons. I’ve found straw can get messy and mucky when wet, but it also tends to be cheap, which is always nice.
19. Raised Bed with Privacy Wall
This one is in my garden. I grow herbs, flowers, and an apple tree in it.
20. Brick Edged Veggie Bed
If the bricks or paving stones are well-placed at grass height, it is really easy to cut the lawn without having to do additional trim work.
And that’s a big part of planning a veggie garden: do what you can to making trimming and lawn maintenance easy.
