Three 4 × 4 raised bed layouts

Why a 4 × 4 ft bed is different

A 4 × 4 ft bed is the classic starter size: every point is within 2 ft of an edge, and it fits a small yard. But the planner gives each crop a strip across the full 4 ft length, so one large crop can take a big share of a small bed. Three layouts show what fits, all calculated with the same rules as the bed planner.

Layout 1: a salad square that fits completely

4 head lettuce, 16 spinach, 48 radish, 32 carrot. Small, closely spaced crops pack well: 100 of 100 plants fit, with a 9 in strip left at the front.

The leftover strip could hold more of the small crops; the planner lists how many under “What to do next”.

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Layout 2: two tomatoes with a border of beans and lettuce

2 tomato (supported), 8 bush bean, 4 head lettuce. Two supported tomatoes at 24 in fill a 24 in strip across the back. That leaves enough room for 8 bush beans and 4 lettuce in front: 14 of 14 placed.

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Layout 3: when the list is too long

2 tomato (supported), 8 head lettuce, 32 carrot. The tomatoes and lettuce use the whole width, so there is no strip left for the carrot block at the end of the list: 10 of 42 placed.

Every plant would fit in a bed 54 in wide. In a 4 × 4 ft bed, the realistic options are fewer lettuce, moving the carrots up the list, or giving the carrots their own small bed.

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Rules of thumb for small beds

• Put the crop you care most about first in the list.
• Count large plants first: in 4 ft, a 24 in crop takes half the bed for each row.
• Small crops sown thickly (radish, carrot, spinach) fill gaps well.
• Measure inside the frame: a 4 × 4 ft frame of 1.5 in boards is 45 in inside, which is too narrow for two rows of 24 in plants.

Plan your 4 × 4 bed