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Considering growing a kitchen garden this year? Not sure what you want your garden space to look like? Here are some vegetable garden ideas to get you inspired to grow a vegetable garden this year!

Planning a Kitchen Garden

Even if it’s too cold to think about getting outside in the yard, you can soak in all kinds of images of sunny and warm gardens and know that spring will be here before we know it! (And so will the mosquitoes, but for now, let’s focus on the positive things.)

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And no matter what type of garden you choose, a little planning goes a long way! And there’s no better way to get planned for a vegetable garden than with my printable Complete Garden Planner or my print Kitchen Garden Planner. Be sure to check it out!

Row Vegetable Gardens

I’m going to start this kitchen garden idea showcase off with the mother of all gardens because it’s Martha Stewart’s. The lady knows how to grow some vegetables (and I’m sure so does her small army of gardeners).

But for those of us who don’t have several gardeners on our payroll, or a spare acre of land in the backyard, here are some great ideas for vegetable patches that will actually fit into any backyard.

Row gardens don’t have to be quite as extensive as Martha’s. Here is an example of a do-able row garden that you could easily replicate at home. This no-till vegetable garden is easy to begin and you can see the full post at Grow Veg.

Raised Bed Vegetable Gardens

Whether made of cedar, rock, metal, or a combination of all of these elements, raised bed gardens are making gardening accessible to everyone! The rise in popularity of the raised bed vegetable garden is evident through the growth of Kitchen Garden Coaches and Gardening Businesses who install and maintain backyard gardens. 

Here’s a beautiful backyard garden area by Lettuce Grow Something out of Texas. If you’re interested in a raised bed garden, check out her website for all of the information! 

While hip-height raised beds are convenient, raised garden beds don’t have to be incredibly tall. In fact, 8 inches is all the technical height a raised bed needs. These beautiful lower beds provide a defined growing space with edging for paths. 

I love how this raised bed vegetable garden can be tucked into a well-lit corner of the yard. And it’s also a great solution for a backyard that doesn’t have a lot of space. 

Swoon! This fenced-in raised bed garden obviously requires more space, but I love how open it feels. The fence helps set the garden apart from the rest of the yard. We had a raised bed garden fence around our own garden, and it was helpful for keeping out rabbits. 

Need some instructions for building your own raised beds? Check out my DIY Cedar Raised Bed tutorial. You can have your garden set up in just an afternoon!

Container Vegetable Gardens

Don’t have room in the yard? Check out this fabulous idea for container vegetable gardens perfect for the deck or patio!

Earth boxes, which are containers that water from the bottom up, are also a great choice for having a container vegetable garden. In fact, Rick Bayless, the chef behind Frontera and other restaurants in Chicago, uses Earthboxes to grow an entire rooftop garden! We have several in our garden and love them!

Flower Bed Vegetable Gardens

This small vegetable garden blends right in with the landscaping and would be great for kids. Using existing flower beds is a great way to delve into gardening with out purchasing a bed or tilling up your yard. 

We use our flower bed space for growing blueberries, raspberries, garlic, and herbs. It’s a great way to have established plants in a permanent location and not take up room in a row or raised bed garden. Here is our garlic growing in the front flower bed.

A garden spiral is a great idea if you only have part of a flower bed to work with, and it’s a lovely design feature. Garden spirals can also give you a steady supply of herbs and vegetables from a tiny space.

Need more help on starting a garden this year? Check out my list of helpful articles below, and always feel free to reach out with questions.