Gardening Plants & Flowers Vegetables

23 Vegetable Garden Ideas and Designs for Your Yard

Make Your Vegetable Garden Stand Out Beautifully

Dresser Turned into a Vegetable Garden

mazaletel / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

When you want both form and function, there are vegetable garden design ideas that are just as stunning as ornamental flower gardens. You'll get all the benefits of harvesting your own fresh herbs and vegetables while also enjoying the look of a gorgeous garden layout you've created yourself.

Ideally, you situate your vegetable garden in a location with full sun and easy access to a water source, but you can also plant vegetables that thrive in less sun exposure or grow herbs with low watering needs. Raised beds are only one of many ways to design and lay out a vegetable garden; there are many other options for aesthetically pleasing gardens. Whether you have a small apartment vegetable garden on a patio or a sprawling backyard, here are 23 vegetable garden ideas to get you inspired.

Vegetable Gardening Tips

Before you start a vegetable garden, here a four key tips for a successful harvest:

  • Plan your vegetable garden. Regardless of the size of your plantings, planning is key, both in terms of space (what to plant where and how much) and time (when to plant which crops and how often). Squeezing too many plants into your planting space will only yield poor results and you don’t want sun-loving tomatoes to be shaded by towering corn plants or end up with more lettuce than you are able to eat at once.
  • Select varieties suitable for your space and climate. For small spaces or containers, choose dwarf, compact, or bush-type varieties, which are available for many popular garden crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers. If your growing season is short, select early-maturing varieties.
  • Follow the rules of crop rotation. Regardless of how big or small your garden is, planting crops of the same plant family in the same location in two consecutive years is a no-no. For container plants, that means using fresh potting soil every season, or for each new crop.
  • Water and fertilize. Vegetables undergo a fast transformation from seed or seedling to harvest in a very short time and to do that, they regularly need water and a fertilizer specially formulated for vegetables. The only exceptions are some perennial herbs such as rosemary that do better in less nutrient-rich, dry soil.
  • Mulch. Vegetable gardens benefit from mulching just as much as flower beds. Mulch keeps the soil moist and cool and suppresses weeds. Make sure to pick a mulch suitable for vegetable gardens. Another way of "mulching" is to plant an edible groundcover.

Vegetable Gardening Ideas

  • 01 of 23

    Plant Attractive Varieties

    Strawberry Pots Planted with Swiss Chard
    Marie Iannotti

    Some vegetables, like rainbow Swiss chard, are too beautiful to be confined to the vegetable garden. Show them off by making them focal points in your garden.

    This rainbow Swiss chard was recently planted in these strawberry pots, where they will fill out the space. New leaves will fill in where old leaves are harvested, keeping the plants fresh-looking and lush.

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  • 02 of 23

    Use Hanging Planters

    Hanging Vegetable Garden
    Well Preserved / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

    There is no gardening rule that says hanging baskets have to be flowers. Especially vegetables with shallow roots will work in hanging planters. In the spring, you may even get a better yield, due in part to the heat that is being reflected off the wall.

    Use any type of container you like, from old buckets to fancy ceramic bowls, as long as the walls of the container are thick so they provide adequate insulation of the roots from the heat and the containers drain well (drill drainage holes if there aren’t any). Just remember that the containers will get heavy when they are full of soil and plants. And, like all container plants, they need more frequent watering than plants in garden soil. This gardener has hung baskets attached to strong horizontal boards along a wall.

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  • 03 of 23

    Interplant With Flowers

    Kale Grown in the Flower Border
    F.D Richards/BuildDirect.com

    Many vegetables make attractive bedding plants alongside flowers, especially if they are quick growers and frequently harvested, like lettuce and other salad greens. Interplanting with flowers has the added benefit of attracting pollinators, a crucial but often overlooked success factor for growing vegetables.

    Rabbits and other wildlife may find your vegetable bed tempting, but if you interplant with companion flowers that have a strong scent or toss in a few onion plants, these will act as a deterrent.

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  • 04 of 23

    Try Vertical Gardening

    Vegetable Garden Made of Pallettes
    Dorine Ruter /Flickr / CC BY 2.0

    Many gardeners know that old, discarded pallets make great compost bins. They also make great vertical gardens. Staple some landscape fabric to the inside of the front of your pallet and the outside of the rear. Fill the whole thing with good potting soil. Then turn the pallet on its side and make slits where you want to insert your plants. If you are going to hang your pallet garden, make sure you have sturdy hooks, because all that soil and wood will make it heavy.

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  • 05 of 23

    Build Portable Raised Beds

    Crate Vegetable Garden
    USDA NRCS Florida /Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0

    simple crate is all you need to plant a salad garden that will feed you for weeks. This is a variation on a raised bed garden, but since it's self-contained, it's portable. It may be too heavy to lift when full, but if you put wheels on it, you could move it to wherever the sun decides to shine.

    You can squeeze a lot into one small garden. Vegetables that are harvested frequently, such as lettuce, carrots, and onions, will be thinned out as you harvest them, so there will not be overcrowding.

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  • 06 of 23

    Plant a Garden on Shelves

    Container Garden Collection
    Loren Javier / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0

    Shelves make a great little garden. You do not need to buy special hangers or spend the weekend digging out a spot in the yard—all you need is a set of shelves and some containers.

    Place your collection on your deck or patio just outside your kitchen, and you will find yourself harvesting far more often than if you had to walk out to the garden. Bring some of the containers indoors when the weather turns cold. Do not forget to include some herbs, too.

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  • 07 of 23

    Plant in Raised Garden Beds

    High Raised Beds
    Mitch Diamond / Getty Images

    A lot of times raised beds are only a few inches off the ground. While that does provide benefits to the plants, like improved drainage and warming the soil earlier in spring, it also means less bending for the gardener if the bed is raised even higher.

    Lifting the planting beds to waist height, like the three weathered troughs running through this colorful garden, means very little bending and far fewer wildlife problems that would otherwise need additional fencing.

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  • 08 of 23

    Grow in Greenhouses

    Growing Vegetables in a Greenhouse
    Mavis Butterfield / OneHundredDollarsaMonth.com

    Gardening in a greenhouse provides you with fresh vegetables during the off-season when it’s too cold to grow them outside. Just pull up a chair and literally watch the plants grow.

    This greenhouse provides a view of the garden outside as well as the sheltered vegetables and flowers growing undercover. It is a great place to set up an office while you keep tabs on how everything is growing.

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  • 09 of 23

    Plant a Permaculture Garden

    A Permaculture Garden
    naturalflow / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

    If you are drawn toward sustainability, look into creating a permaculture garden. This type of garden tries to duplicate the layering found in natural systems and forests. There are upper-story trees, climbers, perennial vegetables, root crops, and self-sowers that intermingle, creating your own personal foraging garden.

    It takes some effort to create a working permaculture garden, but it will require much less maintenance than traditional vegetable gardens once it gets going.

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  • 10 of 23

    Design a Container Garden

    Vegetable container garden

    Getty Images/ChiccoDodiFC

    You can grow just about any vegetable in containers. This is a very creative and ornamental way to design a vegetable garden. Virtually any container will do, as long as it has good drainage.

    Move the containers around to take full advantage of the sun. Either plant one type of vegetable per container or mix things up. A downside is that the soil in containers tends to dry out quickly and you may need to water it every day.

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  • 11 of 23

    Companion Plant Different Varieties

    Companion plants growing in garden

    Getty Images/gerdtromm

    When you're growing multiple vegetables within a garden, you'll want to keep in mind companion plants, meaning planting vegetables that grow well together. Companion planting involves growing plants that will have the same light and water requirements, and they'll mutually benefit each other as they grow.

    Examples include asparagus and petunias, eggplant and marigold, or winter squash and nasturtium.

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  • 12 of 23

    Grow On Your Fence

    Vegetable or herb growing on a fence

    Getty Images/ANITA BLAKER

    If you have a fence, then you have the perfect spot to plant vegetables or herbs without taking up ground space. Build a planter on your fence or hang boxes from your fence. This keeps plants out of the reach of rabbits and gives them more undisturbed access to sunlight.

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  • 13 of 23

    Try Small Backyard Solutions

    Rooftop garden with succession planting

    Getty Images/simonkr

    A small backyard shouldn't prevent you from having a garden full of delicious vegetables to harvest. Try succession planting, where you plant vegetables strategically so that there is continuously something new ready to be harvested.

    Or try planting smaller, more compact varieties of vegetables to make the most of your small space.

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  • 14 of 23

    Install Window Boxes

    Vegetable garden in a window box

    Getty Images/Marina Herrmann

    When you need to utilize every square inch in a small space or if you want to add some greenery and color to your home, look to window boxes. These classic gardening vessels aren't just for flowers. Use them on the bright side of your home for sun-loving veggies or plant herbs that you want easy access to right outside your kitchen window.

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  • 15 of 23

    Use Vegetables as Landscaping

    Vegetables in landscaping

    Getty Images/Philippe S. Giraud

    Rather than interplanting ornamental flowers and vegetables, try planting all vegetables and other edible plants to maximize functional garden space. In this garden, lettuce serves as both the height and edging in the landscaping design. Marigolds are used to add color, but they're also one of the most popular edible flowers.

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  • 16 of 23

    Make a Balcony Garden

    Vegetables on balcony

    Getty Images/Westend61

    If you have a balcony, then you have room to design a vegetable garden. Combine a container garden with shade tolerant vegetables and you'll have a delicious array of veggies, even with your small space.

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  • 17 of 23

    Build a Ladder Garden

    Ladder garden with vegetables and herbs

    Getty Images/Westend61

    Using a ladder to build a vertical garden helps make the most of your space. Grab an old ladder, a few pots, and plant a container garden that is as functional and space efficient as it is charming.

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  • 18 of 23

    Plant a Traditional Garden

    Vegetable garden in rows

    Getty Images/beekeepx

    Planting vegetables in rows, sectioned off based on the type of plant, is the traditional way to grow a vegetable garden, and it's still a favorite of gardeners. It makes for a classic look, like something straight out of a cottage garden, and it's one of the most efficient ways to grow and harvest plants.

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  • 19 of 23

    Trellis Your Plants

    Vegetables grown on a trellis

    Getty Images/Joe_Potato

    Growing vegetables on a trellis gives you more room to let vines and climbing plants spread. It also adds a timeless, charming look to your garden that is as pretty as it is practical. This is a particularly good idea in gardens where you're trying to save space and maximize vertical growing techniques.

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  • 20 of 23

    Style a Plant Wall

    Vegetables and herbs planted along a wall

    Getty Images/boonsom

    A plant wall is stylish and functional way to grow a vegetable garden. From letting them climb along the wall to mounting small containers all over a sunny surface, planting a wall of vegetables lets you make the most of a petite patio or small backyard.

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  • 21 of 23

    Use Unconventional Containers

    Stainless steel tub full of flowers

    Getty Images/Binnerstam

    You don't need to go out and buy all-new terra-cotta pots or invest in raised bed planters just to have a vegetable garden. Think outside the box with the planters that you use, including stainless steel tubs, burlap planting bags, stock tanks, and large tupperware containers. Regardless of the container you use, it must have drainage holes so you might need to drill them yourself.

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  • 22 of 23

    Try Patio Raised Beds

    Raised bed with kale and spinach on patio

    Getty Images/AKodisinghe

    If you don't have a large yard with a dedicated garden space, use raised beds to make gardening physically easier and keep your plants away from hungry rabbits and other small animals. Try raised beds both as decor and functional gardening vessels on a patio or porch.

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  • 23 of 23

    Add Garden Borders and Paths

    Spinach as garden edging

    Getty Images/Westend61

    The round shape and vibrant colors of various lettuces and other leafy greens make them a wonderful option to use as practical garden borders and paths. Use them as edging around a garden bed.

FAQ
  • What veggies grow well together?

    While companion planting (growing crops together) is not an exact science, there is evidence that certain crops grow well together. Tomatoes make good neighbors for basil and other herbs as well as carrots, cucumbers, and squash. Good companion plants for lettuce are corn, pumpkins, radishes, and squash.

  • When is the best time for starting a vegetable garden?

    The best time to start a vegetable garden is in the spring when the soil warms up after the winter. Before you start planting, you must prepare the soil for planting cool-season crops such as peas or lettuce. The planting of warm-weather crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers will have to wait until the late spring after the last frost.

  • What is the best layout for a vegetable garden?

    To maximize your garden's growth, plant vegetables in rows, with the shortest plants facing the south end of the garden where they'll receive the most light. Taller plants go in the back, towards the north.

  • What are the easiest vegetables to grow as a beginner?

    Lettuce, herbs, radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and summer squash are the easiest crops to grow for newbie gardeners. Starting vegetable plants from seeds isn't difficult but to get some basic experience growing vegetables first, purchase seedlings or small plants in your first gardening season.