1. Vertical Garden Layout

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Best For: Balconies, patios, or very small yards.

Key Features:

Vertical Planters: Use wall-mounted planters, ladder shelves, or tiered stacking pots.

Climbing Plants: Include trellises for vining crops like beans, peas, or cucumbers.

Hanging Baskets: Grow strawberries, cherry tomatoes, or herbs in hanging planters.

Pollinator Corner: Add a small bee hotel or hanging flower pots for pollinators.

Example Arrangement:

Back wall: Trellis with climbing vegetables.

Mid-level: Shelves for potted herbs or greens.

Top: Hanging baskets with cascading plants (e.g., strawberries).

Floor: A couple of larger pots for root vegetables or dwarf fruit trees.

2. Raised Bed Garden Layout

Best For: Urban backyards or shared spaces.

Key Features:

Compact Raised Beds: Use 2–3 small raised beds (3’ x 3’ or 4’ x 4’) to maximize planting space.

Interplanting: Combine fast-growers like radishes with slower crops like carrots to save space.

Companion Planting: Pair plants that grow well together, such as tomatoes with basil or marigolds.

Example Arrangement:

Bed 1: Salad crops (lettuce, spinach, radishes).

Bed 2: Root vegetables (carrots, beets) and herbs (chives, parsley).

Bed 3: One trellis for peas or beans; companion flowers like nasturtiums.

3. Container Garden Layout

Best For: Renters or paved surfaces.

Key Features:

Mobile Planters: Use pots and containers with wheels for flexibility.

Multi-Use Containers: Grow potatoes in deep buckets, herbs in small pots, and leafy greens in shallow trays.

Focus Zones: Group plants by sunlight needs or watering schedules.

Example Arrangement:

Sunny area: Containers with tomatoes, peppers, and basil.

Partial shade: Leafy greens like kale or lettuce.

Decorative zone: Flower pots for pollinators.

4. Square-Foot Gardening Layout

Best For: Small yards or highly organized gardeners.

Key Features:

Divide into Squares: Use a 4’ x 4’ grid (16 squares) for efficient planting.

Maximizing Yield: Plant one type of crop per square foot based on spacing guidelines.

Crop Rotation: Keep track of what you plant to rotate crops each season.

Example Arrangement (Each square foot):

2 squares: Tomatoes and marigolds.

2 squares: Carrots and radishes.

2 squares: Salad greens and spinach.

2 squares: Beans with a small trellis.

Rest: Herbs like basil, thyme, or cilantro.

5. Companion Planting Patch

Best For: Beginners who want low-maintenance gardens.

Key Features:

Companion Plants: Group crops that support each other (e.g., the “Three Sisters” method with corn, beans, and squash).

Layering Heights: Use tall plants to shade smaller ones.

Edible Flowers: Add flowers like nasturtiums or calendula for aesthetics and pest control.

Example Arrangement:

Center: Tall plants like sunflowers or corn.

Surrounding: Medium plants like bush beans or tomatoes.

Outer edge: Low-growing crops like lettuce or marigolds.

6. Herb Spiral Layout

Best For: Small spaces with uneven ground.

Key Features:

Spiral Design: Build a raised spiral with rocks or bricks, planting herbs with different needs at various heights.

Efficient Watering: Moisture-loving plants (e.g., mint) go at the base, and drought-tolerant ones (e.g., rosemary) at the top.

Example Planting:

Top: Rosemary, thyme, oregano.

Middle: Basil, parsley, cilantro.

Bottom: Mint, chives, lemon balm.

7. Mixed Use Garden with Animals

Best For: Urban homesteaders with small animals (e.g., chickens, rabbits).

Key Features:

Dual Zones: Divide space into animal and planting areas.

Chicken Run Edge: Use chicken-friendly plants like comfrey or sunflowers along the run.

Compost Integration: Place compost near the garden for easy fertilization.

Example Arrangement:

One side: Small chicken coop or rabbit hutch with a run.

Opposite side: Garden beds with vegetables and herbs.

Middle: Pollinator flowers or a small seating area.