Beginner vegetables
Leaf lettuce, radishes, bush beans, basil, and tomatoes are useful starting points.
Vegetable garden planner
Vegetable garden planner for raised beds
Choose vegetables that match your space, season, and maintenance level instead of squeezing every seedling into the same bed.
Anchor the garden with reliable crops
Tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, carrots, basil, radishes, and kale cover many beginner goals without needing a huge garden.
Match crops to the season
Cool-season vegetables use spring and fall. Warm-season crops need reliable warmth and more room by midsummer.
Design for repeat harvests
Small repeated sowings of greens, herbs, radishes, and beans usually create more useful harvests than one large planting day.
Spacing matters
A packed vegetable bed can look efficient in May and become unmanageable in July.
Seasonal planning
Use the calendar to decide what replaces finished crops.
Frequently asked questions
What vegetables are best for raised beds?
Compact, high-value vegetables and herbs usually perform best: lettuce, radishes, carrots, basil, peppers, beans, cucumbers on a trellis, and supported tomatoes.
Next step
Choose one vegetable and calculate how many plants fit before building the rest of the layout. Open the calculator with these defaults, or check the monthly sowing calendar before you plant.