Your bed
- 32.0cu ft of soil
- 22bags of 1.5 cu ft
- $195and up, in bags
- Tomato, staked2 sq2
- Pepper2 sq2
- Cucumber2 sq4
- Bean, bush2 sq18
- Bean, pole2 sq16
- Pea1 sq8
- Broccoli1 sq1
- Kale2 sq4
- Lettuce5 sq20
- Spinach2 sq18
- Onion2 sq18
- Garlic2 sq18
- Carrot3 sq48
- Radish2 sq32
- Beet2 sq18
- 227 plants fit in the 32 squares you filled.
- To fill it 12 in deep, you need 32.0 cu ft of soil.
- That is 22 bags of 1.5 cu ft raised bed soil, about $195 to $419.
- A yard's bed mix in bulk is about $50 to $82, plus $40 to $140 delivery.
How many plants go in a square
Square foot gardening splits a bed into squares, 1 ft1 ft (30 cm) each way. Big plants get a whole square. Small ones share it.
| In one square | Plants |
|---|---|
| 16 plants | Carrot, Radish |
| 9 plants | Bush bean, Spinach, Onion, Garlic, Beet |
| 8 plants | Pole bean, Pea |
| 4 plants | Corn, Lettuce |
| 2 plants | Cucumber, Kale |
| 1 plant | Tomato, Pepper, Eggplant, Okra, Potato, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower |
| 1 for every 2 squares | Squash, Winter squash, Pumpkin, Melon |
Soil to fill the bed
Texas A&M says 8 to 12 in of soil is enough for most beds. Make it 12 to 18 in deep for vegetables.
Bagged raised bed soil costs about $5.92 to $12.71 a cubic foot. A yard's bed mix is $42 to $69 a cubic yard, before delivery. Those are prices that garden centers and yards post, October 2026.
Want to mix your own topsoil and compost? The raised bed soil calculator splits it up for you.
How the math works
- Squares. Length and width, rounded down to whole feet. In meters, each square is 30 cm.
- Plants. For each plant, the squares times the plants in one square. Squash and melons get 1 plant for every 2 squares.
- Soil. Length times width times depth. 1 cubic yard is 27 cu ft. 1 cu ft is 28.3 liters.
- Bags. Cubic feet divided by 1.5, rounded up.
Questions
How many plants fit in a 4 by 8 raised bed?
A 4 by 8 bed has 32 squares. That fits 32 staked tomatoes, 128 heads of lettuce or 512 carrots. Most people mix plants.
How much soil does a 4 by 8 raised bed need?
At 12 in deep, 32 cu ft. That is 22 bags of 1.5 cu ft, or about 1.2 cubic yards in bulk.
How deep should a raised bed be?
Texas A&M says 8 to 12 in for most beds, and 12 to 18 in for vegetables.
Can I save my plan?
Yes. Tap Save, and it will be at the top next time on this phone or computer. Tap Share to get a link that opens the same plan anywhere.
Sources
- NC State Extension 4-H, Square Foot Gardening2021Plants in one square foot
- Texas A&M AgriLife E-560Mar 2009How deep to make a raised bed