27 Plants for Your Raised Bed Kitchen Garden

Kitchen gardens are a functional and beautiful way to grow your own food right outside the kitchen door. While they are not a new idea, these types of gardens are seeing quite a resurgence. If you want to take more control of your food, a raised bed kitchen garden might be just the thing.

Even if you are a seasoned gardener with plenty of space and great soil, a raised bed kitchen garden is a great idea. This method can create the feeling of a cohesive space, an addition to the home. Once you’ve designed and set up your raised bed kitchen garden, you’ll want to choose which plants to grow. Here are some recommendations of plants that thrive in raised beds and add both function and beauty to the kitchen garden. 

Herbs

Fresh herbs are a wonderful addition to the kitchen garden. Most are very easy to grow, and they add a wonderful fragrance to the space. Herbs have lots of common uses. Most make excellent seasoning for food. Some have medicinal uses, and many make delicious teas. Many herbs make great companions as well, helping to ward off nuisance pests. 

Parsley

	botanical name Petroselinum crispum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6”-12”
	hardiness zones 2-11

Parsley is a staple in many kitchens and has a top spot in the kitchen garden, especially if you are a fan of European and Middle Eastern Cuisine. In most places, parsley is a biennial. It produces leaves the first year, and then flowers and seeds during the second. If you want your parsley to re-seed, let it see a second year. Sadly, allowing herbs to flower does alter their flavor, and not in a positive way. Still, if you have space, allowing them to go to seed means free seeds!

Treated as an annual, you should plant parsley in spring. In zones 7-9, you can plant in the fall, as this is a frost-tolerant plant down to 10°F (-12°C). Direct sow your parsley in nutrient-rich soil. Full sun is best, but in very warm climates, a bit of afternoon shade will go a long way. This herb likes consistently moist soil. Fertilize twice during the growing season with a balanced fertilizer. 

Oregano

	botanical name Origanum vulgare
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 6”-3’
	hardiness zones 4-8

Oregano is a perennial herb that you’ll find in nearly every recipe coming from the Mediterranean region. It prefers full sun and doesn’t mind poor soil. Lavender makes a good neighbor for oregano, as they have similar needs. Just make sure the lavender doesn’t overshadow it. Oregano can be a bit aggressive, so a raised bed is the perfect place to keep it in check. 

Plant your oregano in late spring. Pinch it back regularly to encourage branching. When you harvest this herb, cut back to the first set of leaves for an attractive, bushy plant. if you harvest often, you will cut back on the risk of flowering, which takes some of the flavor out of the leaves. However, bees love oregano, and it’s very good for their digestion. 

Basil

	botanical name Ocimum basilicum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4″-36”
	hardiness zones 10-11

Basil is a delicious, fragrant herb that makes an excellent companion for tomatoes. These two plants go well together in the kitchen and in the garden, too! It is said that growing basil near tomatoes improves the flavor of the tomatoes. Plant basil seeds directly into raised beds in late spring when the soil has had some time to warm up. It is perennial only in zones 10-11, although some types, like African blue basil, reliably return for me in zone 9. 

Rich soil and plenty of moisture are what this tropical herb prefers. When your seedlings are about four inches tall, pinch back the very top leaves. This will make them branch. Fertilize your basil twice during the season to keep it growing strong. If you let your basil bloom, it will draw tons of pollinators, but it will alter the flavor. Plant more than one, and you can pinch once for eating, and leave the other for the bees.

Rosemary

	botanical name Salvia rosmarinus
	sun requirements Full sun
	height up to 5’
	hardiness zones 8-10

Rosemary has become one of my favorite herbs since I received my first sourdough starter. Is there any better smell than freshly-baked rosemary sourdough bread? This herb is so easy to grow, and it’s perennial in zones 8-10, so if you allow it to, it will grow quite large and shrublike. Make sure to water your rosemary well during times of drought. This herb likes the sun, but too much heat will hurt. 

Rosemary doesn’t usually need fertilizer if the soil is rich. If slow growth is an issue, a light application should help. Harvest your herb regularly to keep it from flowering and to encourage branching. When you harvest rosemary, never cut back more than 1/3 of the plant. Rosemary needs lots of sun, so make sure to give it a sunny spot. 

Mint

	botanical name Mentha spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1’-4’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Mint can be aggressive, so a raised bed is a great spot for it. Keep it contained to avoid allowing it to take over the entire garden. Mint has lots of benefits. Some common uses are making tea and using its leaves to relieve sinus congestion in a bowl of boiling water. It’s also a natural insect repellant, but it won’t discourage pollinators. 

Plant your mint in full sun or partial shade. It can handle some shade on hot days. Mint will tend to send out runners and grow between other garden plants, filling in spaces. It likes consistent moisture, but not wet roots. You can grow mint from cuttings, seeds, or rooted runners. Plant it in spring when the soil warms up. 

Dill

	botanical name Anethum graveolens
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3′-5′
	hardiness zones 2-11

Dill makes a great companion plant in the kitchen garden. It attracts beneficial insects, which helps to cut down on pest populations. Ladybugs, lacewings, mantids, and wasps all like dill and can help eliminate aphids, spider mites, and other pests. Dill is such a pretty plant with its feathery leaves. It also produces cheery yellow flowers that attract butterflies. 

Dill doesn’t transplant well, so directly sow your seeds in spring. You don’t have to wait for the soil to warm for dill, you can sow the seeds about two weeks before the last expected frost date. Dill is biennial or perennial in warm climates, and annual in areas that experience freezing temperatures. Harvest before it flowers for eating. Then, let it flower and go to seed later in the season. 

Cilantro

	botanical name Coriandrum sativum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1’-2′
	hardiness zones 2-11

Cilantro is one of those herbs that you either love or hate. I’m a fan, so it grows in my kitchen garden. This herb is grown as an annual. It prefers loose soil with good drainage. In hot climates, give this herb a bit of afternoon shade. The tender foliage will wilt under too much heat. 

Cilantro flowers are really lovely. I allow this plant to flower just because of how pretty they are. Fertilize this plant twice during the growing season with a high nitrogen formula. When you harvest cilantro, harvest the larger leaves. Never cut back more than 1/3 of the plant.

Vegetables

Vegetables will likely be what you grow the most of in your kitchen garden. Most vegetable plants are annuals, and you should plant them in the spring. Some plants need warmer temperatures for germination. There are some cold-weather vegetables that you can grow in the fall and winter, particularly in warmer climates. 

Tomato

	botanical name Solanum lycopersicum
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1’-10’
	hardiness zones 3-11

Tomatoes are warm-weather plants, and although we consider them vegetables, they are actually fruits. For the sake of simplicity, we will call them veggies, though. Tomatoes are easy to grow from seeds or starts. They need warm soil to germinate, so unless you live in a warmer climate, it’s best to start them indoors several weeks ahead of planting. Plant your tomatoes with basil for extra flavor.

Tomatoes like well-drained, fertile soil. They are heavy feeders, so fertilize them once per month during the growing season. Most vine tomatoes are indeterminate. They bear fruit for an extended season. Many bush tomatoes are determinate, with fruit that ripens around the same time. There are so many varieties of beautiful tomatoes to choose from!  

Spinach

	botanical name Spinacia oleracea
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8”-12”
	hardiness zones 2-11

Spinach is a cool weather crop. Plant spinach in the late summer or early fall in warm climates. Plant three to four weeks before your last expected frost date in cooler climates. Direct sow seeds and thin to one every six inches once they sprout. Spinach likes moisture, so keep your spinach watered regularly. 

This is a frost-tolerant vegetable, so in warmer climates, it will grow throughout the winter. It can survive temperatures as low as 15°F (-9°C). Harvest your spinach by picking the larger outer leaves and leaving the immature leaves to grow. Don’t allow the soil to dry out, or your spinach will bolt. It will still be edible, but the flavor will be altered. 

Cucumber

	botanical name Cucumis sativus
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2’-6’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Cucumbers are so easy to grow, it would be a shame to leave them out of the kitchen garden. They also grow well on trellises, so they have a very small footprint. If you allow them to climb they will produce more. Cucumbers are highly nutritious and are wonderful to eat raw or make pickles with. These veggies like a fair amount of sun, but their leaves can scorch in the hot afternoon sun. 

Trellising your cukes will help to protect them from fungus and diseases. Harvest regularly for better production, picking them early in the day while it’s cool outside. Fertilize them once a month during the growing season, as these are heavy feeders. You can use a balanced fertilizer on cucumbers. Plant cucumbers as soon as the soil warms up for a long growing season.

Pepper

	botanical name Capsicum annuum
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1’-4’
	hardiness zones 4-11

Peppers are another vegetable that is almost too easy to grow. The spicy one, in particular, seems impervious to pests. Peppers are a great source of vitamin C, and they are delicious, too. These are warm-weather vegetables, and you should plant them after any threat of frost. Germinate them indoors in cooler climates to get an early start. 

Peppers make good companions in the garden for edible flowers like marigolds and nasturtiums. These flowers help ward off pests that would love to snack on your sweet peppers and their foliage. Pepper flowers can be sensitive to high and low temperatures. It’s best to get them planted in the spring while the weather is mild.

Kale

	botanical name Brassica oleracea var. sabellica
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1’-2’
	hardiness zones 7-10

Kale, like most leafy greens, is a cool-weather crop. In warm climates, plant your kale six to eight weeks before your first anticipated frost date. In spring, plant two to four weeks before the last frost date. Most kale can tolerate temperatures down to 10°F (-12°C), with more cold tolerant types tolerating as cold as -10°F (-23°C). In fact, kale gets sweeter after a frost or two, so it’s best to harvest after some cold weather. 

Kale likes full sun and fertile soil. Mix some fertilizer into the soil before planting, and make sure to fertilize regularly. Kale is a cut-and-come-again vegetable, so harvest often. Avoid planting kale with other brassicas which will compete for nutrients. Because it is a heavy feeder, kale can rob other plants of the nutrients they need. Herbs and flowers make good neighbors for these greens. 

Carrots

	botanical name Daucus carota subsp. sativus
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1’-3’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Carrots and other root vegetables will grow in raised beds as long as the beds are deep enough. In fact, they grow very well in raised beds because the soil is loose and the drainage is good. In mild climates, you can plant carrots in the fall or spring. Plant 10-12 weeks before your first frost date. Carrots can survive a light frost, and the tops can survive in temperatures as low as 18°F (-7°C). In zone 9, they will be fine through the entire winter. 

In cool climates, plant your seeds two to three weeks before the last frost date. Carrots don’t transplant well, so be certain to directly sow these seeds. Their long tap root, which will become the carrot, doesn’t like to be disturbed. Fertile soil will give your carrots the nutrients they need to get big and strong. Make sure to water your carrots, they prefer moist soil. 

Zucchini

	botanical name Cucurbita pepo
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2’-3’
	hardiness zones 3-11

Zucchini and summer squash are other crops that are very easy to grow. Just a few plants provide a great harvest. Plant squash around the base of pea plants to cool the soil. This prolongs the life of the peas. This is a thirsty vegetable that needs watering almost daily. In the heat of summer, you may see your zucchini leaves droop even though you watered them in the morning. 

Choose a bush type for growing in raised beds rather than a vining type. You can also trellis vining zucchini plants, so don’t count them out if that’s the type you like. Squash blossoms make a beautiful and delicious garnish, and bees love them. In fact, there is a specific bee called a squash bee that pollinates plants in this family. Fertilize this plant regularly. Once per week is great until they set fruit, then up your fertilizing to twice weekly. 

Onions

	botanical name Allium cepa
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1′-1.5′
	hardiness zones 5-10

Onions are great for growing in raised beds. Their limited root system does very well in loose soil, and they only need about eight inches of depth. Give your onions plenty of organic matter. They need lots of nutrients. It’s a great idea to work some high phosphorus fertilizer into the soil, as well. 

In warm climates, you can plant onions in the fall, but they will lie dormant until the soil warms up in spring. March is a good time to plant onions for a long, warm growing season. Directly sow your onions in the garden, spacing them 10″-12″ apart. Don’t overwater your onions, or they will rot. Make sure they receive water once a week and soak the roots well.

Lettuce

	botanical name Lactuca sativa
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6″-12″
	hardiness zones 2-11

Lettuce likes cool weather. That means you should plant it in the fall in warm climates, and spring in cool climates. Sow your seeds directly in your beds, lightly pressing them into the soil. Lettuce is frost tolerant as long as the temperature doesn’t dip below 20°F (-7°C). This vegetable likes fertile soil and moisture. You want to give your lettuce plenty of water for tender leaves. 

Some varieties of lettuce, like most greens, get sweeter with a light freeze. Keep that in mind when planting. They will bolt in too much heat, so it’s best to err on the side of planting too early rather than too late. Head lettuce is only good for a single harvest. Leaf lettuces, however, are cut and come again. Harvest these regularly for sweet, tender leaves. 

Cabbage

	botanical name Brassica oleracea var. capitata
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 12”-18”
	hardiness zones 2-11

Cabbage is an interesting vegetable. It prefers cool weather and is cold tolerant to 25°F (-4°C). Where I live in Zone 9, it grows nicely through the winter. In colder climates, it can go in the ground a couple of weeks before that last first date to get an early start. You can direct sow, or start seeds four to six weeks ahead of time indoors. Once the thermometer climbs above 80°F (27°C), cabbage growth will slow. 

These vegetables like nutrient-rich soil and full to partial sun. Use a balanced fertilizer at the time of planting. After three weeks, give your cabbage a hefty helping of nitrogen. Cabbage heads take about four to six months to mature, so the earlier you plant them, the better. Water your plants regularly for healthy heads.

Broccoli

	botanical name Brassica oleracea var. italica
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 12″-18″
	hardiness zones 2-11

Broccoli is one of those vegetables that you can have growing just about year-round. It’s technically a cool weather plant, but you can plant it in late summer to have a late fall harvest. Plant in early spring for an early summer harvest. Broccoli will tolerate a moderate freeze, so overlapping into the colder months is fine in most climate zones. 

Broccoli makes a great companion for lettuce because its leaves will provide some shade. Onions and beets mix well with this vegetable as well, because broccoli has fine roots and will offer some protection. Broccoli is a brassica, and rosemary is a great companion for brassicas. Planting this herb nearby is said to enhance the flavor. 

Fruit

Adding a fruit tree to the kitchen garden is a wonderful idea. But, when it comes to your raised beds, there are a few fruits that you can incorporate with your other plants. 

Strawberry

	botanical name Fragaria x ananassa
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6”-12”
	hardiness zones 5-9

Sweet, juicy strawberries are a summer favorite at my house. Strawberries have very good cold tolerance and are perennial in most climates. In warm climates, plant them year-round. In cool climates, drop them in the garden as soon as the ground is workable or six weeks before your last frost date. If you’re planting starts, don’t plant too deep. Leave the crown of the plant exposed. 

Strawberries will be among the first fruits to ripen in the spring. Their cold tolerance makes them a great addition to northern gardens. I love growing strawberries in a vertical planter because it keeps them off the ground. Strawberries that sit on the dirt for just a day too long will begin to rot.

Blueberry

	botanical name Vaccinium sect. Cyanococcus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6’-12’
	hardiness zones 4-10

If you live in the South, you know that blueberries are a plant that you simply must have in your kitchen garden. Not only do these bushes provide tasty, nutrient-dense berries, but they also provide fall foliage. Blueberry bushes are perennial. They like their soil to be quite acidic, so give them plenty of compost. Plant more than one variety for an extra bountiful harvest. 

Plant blueberries during mild weather to help them adapt to a low-stress environment. These bushes should have a bit of space, so place them two feet apart. If you don’t want to make space in your raised beds for such large, and permanent plants that’s ok. Think about using these shrubs as a low hedge or interspersing them around your raised bed garden.

Melon

	botanical name Cucumis melo
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 6′-9′
	hardiness zones 2-11

Although it may seem like an inefficient use of space, raised beds are a great place to grow melons. Melons need warm soil, and raised beds warm up faster in the spring. Deep, loose soil also allows their roots to anchor securely, giving them a good foundation. Plant your melon seeds directly in beds about two weeks before the last expected frost date. 

Make sure to mix a good amount of compost into the soil. Melons are heavy feeders. Some melons have very deep roots and don’t play well with others. So, give your melons their own space. If you’re growing lighter melons, consider training them to grow on a trellis to save space. Fertilize with a high nitrogen formula initially. After your plants flower, fertilize every two to three weeks with a balanced fertilizer. 

Blackberry

	botanical name Rubus subg. Rubus
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 3’-8’
	hardiness zones 3-10

Blackberries are easy to grow, almost too easy. Wild or vining blackberries tend to pop up everywhere, which makes them great for raised bed gardening. You can train these vines on a trellis, leaving plenty of space for other seasonal vegetables. Blackberries are one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can grow. So why not add them to your kitchen garden?

Bush-type blackberries require more tending than vining plants. They aren’t difficult to grow, though. Give your blackberries loose, well-draining, nutrient-rich soil to start off. Space bush types out by three feet to avoid crowding and fungal issues. Blackberries are best planted in the spring. The fruit ripens in late spring to early summer, depending on the variety. 

Edible Flowers

This final category is near and dear to my heart. You may have no need for edible flowers. However, flowers in the garden serve a very valuable function. They draw in pollinating insects, which results in a greater harvest, overall. So being that this is the case, why not grow flowers that you can also use in the kitchen?

Lavender

	botanical name Lavandula spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 20”-48”
	hardiness zones 5-9

You really can’t go wrong with lavender. This plant is so wonderful for so many reasons. Although it’s not a common ingredient in the United States, lavender flowers work wonderfully in baked goods. That soothing, stress-relieving aroma makes your favorite shortbread cookie, well, practically medicinal! All joking aside, lavender is a wonderful plant to grow in your raised bed kitchen garden.

Many gardeners lament the difficulty of growing healthy lavender. That’s because it’s not like other plants. Lavender likes poor soil, low water, and no fertilizer. This Mediterranean native thrives in succulent-like conditions. If you’re wondering what to do with a bed after a crop of brassicas have sucked the life out of the soil, plant lavender there. Put it in the depleted soil, make sure it gets plenty of sun, and leave it alone.

Nasturtium

	botanical name Tropaeolum spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1’-10’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Nasturtiums are another plant that absolutely belongs in the kitchen garden for many reasons. For one thing, they are simply beautiful. Bright, and warm, these pretty flowers bloom with ease and very little care. Nasturtiums also have an interesting relationship with pests. Some insects, like cabbage loopers, aphids, white flies, and squash bugs dislike nasturtiums. Plant these flowers near affected plants for added protection. 

All parts of nasturtium plants are edible, as well. The pretty, rounded leaves and brightly colored flowers are all edible. They have a fresh, peppery flavor that is wonderful added to salads and other cold dishes. These plants are perennial in zones 9-11, and they readily re-seed elsewhere. Plant them once, and you’re likely to see them pop up again next year.

Pansy

	botanical name Viola tricolor var. hortensis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6”-12”
	hardiness zones 2-11

I will always grow pansies in my kitchen garden. For me, these sweet flowers are nostalgic, taking me back to the Easters of my childhood. Pansies are lovely flowers, and they also happen to be edible. I love to use them to decorate birthday cakes and throw them on top of a salad when we have company for dinner. Edible flowers can turn a simple meal into something that feels very significant. 

Pansies are cool-weather flowers, but I find that as long as you give them some shade and keep them watered, they will keep going through the summer. They’re also very cold-tolerant, they will survive all the way down to 25°F (-4°C), and colder with some protection. They like rich soil and moisture. The more flowers you cut, the more this plant will produce. So, cut them often and enjoy their sweet smell. 

Marigold

	botanical name Tagetes spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 6”-48”
	hardiness zones 2-11

Marigolds belong in all parts of the garden, especially the kitchen garden. Not only are these flowers edible, but they have a great number of uses in the kitchen and medicinal preparations. Marigolds are good for treating insect bites and skin irritation. They have a unique and, in my opinion, pleasing scent. Use them to make tea and to decorate baked goods. 

But wait, there’s more! Marigolds also make excellent companions in the garden for vegetable plants. The scent that I like so much is quite repellent to garden pests and possibly repels snakes, too. Marigolds are tough plants that like plenty of sun and a moderate amount of water. Sprinkle them about in your beds. Their neighbors will love them!

Calendula

	botanical name Calendula officinalis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1’-2’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Sometimes referred to as pot marigolds, calendula is an amazing plant to have in the kitchen garden. The sweet and slightly bitter petals complement many recipes in the kitchen. Use them to make a soothing tea, or merely as a decoration. There is no rule that says being a pretty flower isn’t functional enough for the kitchen garden. 

Like pansies, the more you cut these flowers, the more you’ll get. Make sure to deadhead your calendula because they go to seed quickly, and then they die back. It’s easy to harvest their seeds at the end of the season. Give these flowers full sun, water them regularly, and fertilize them once a month with a bloom-boosting fertilizer.