Joanna Gaines Has the Ultimate Raised Bed Garden – Her Simple but Clever Design Makes Everything Easier
Joanna has cracked the code to the perfect raised garden bed layout. Discover why it's so effective – and how to recreate its success in your own space.
Gardens come in so many shapes and sizes, from small, asymmetrical spaces with little nooks perfect for pots to broad acres with seemingly endless land for garden beds. The beauty of having a garden, though, is that there are always ways to make the space work for you – it's just a case of being a bit creative. And few people are more creative than Joanna Gaines when it comes to making the most of any space.
Joanna recently posted pictures of her garden on Instagram, showing her stylish and practical raised garden bed layout. As you might expect, she has created a space abundant with greenery and flowers, including dahlias, zinnias, white lace flowers, scabiosa, pink globe amaranth, and plumbago. However, they're also ideally designed for growing vegetables and herbs. Her beds feel intentionally placed, with each side of the garden mirroring the other in perfect symmetry. Each raised bed is far enough apart from its neighbor to allow for easy access when planting or watering. In fact, the overall design seems rather perfect.
If you're looking for raised garden bed ideas to add to your own yard, you've come to the right place. Here's why it's so effective – and how to get the look.
Why Joanna's Raised Beds Work So Well
Joanna's raised beds are predominantly arranged in two matching blocks of rows and columns, mirrored on either side of her garden. Towards the back of the planting area, she has also included one long planter on either side, as well as two smaller U-shaped ones.
Arranging lots of planters close together in rows and columns is a traditional approach to growing crops and is efficient when planting, harvesting, or watering. This raised bed garden layout works because everything is close by, so a gardener doesn't have to walk far to tend to each of their plants.
This approach also allows gardeners to make the most of their available space, leaving only enough room to walk comfortably between the raised beds.
The U-shaped planters towards the back are a great way to add visual variety to the yard, breaking up the repetition of the straight lines. But I love how Joanna has added one more row to bridge the gap between the main rows and the shaped raised beds, making the pattern shift feel less abrupt.
Shop Raised Beds to Get the Look
This all-in-one raised bed has its irrigation built in for low maintenance, and it divides the space into a super convenient grid for square foot planting.
This slender metal bed is perfect for sitting in rows like in Joanna's layout. But because it's modular you have the flexibility of different layouts. Available in six colors.
This spacious 8-foot raised bed has a handy center divider for organizing different crops, plus an included liner and easy-to-assemble dovetail panels.
A More Comfortable Way to Garden
One simple but easily overlooked benefit of Joanna’s raised bed layout is that the beds give her plenty of convenient places to perch while working outdoors. Josiah Stoltzfus and Chris Newton of Saunders Hardscape, who design raised hardscape gardens, were quick to point this out.
They explained: “Raised beds are a great way to bring together multiple components, including hardscaping, landscaping, and crafting a functioning space. But a simple pro to having spaced raised beds like Joanna’s is that the hardscape lets you sit on the edge to work or bend over without going all the way down to ground level!”
You’ll be thanking yourself when your back hurts less in the yard, or when you’re tired and need somewhere to sit down and catch your breath.
Better Airflow for Healthier Plants
This was a major benefit pointed out to me by Kyle Turner, President and CEO of Pro Active Pest Control. Every raised bed has enough space around it to prevent the plants from becoming overcrowded, which not only looks great but also offers health benefits for your greenery.
As Kyle explained: “What I like about this raised bed layout is the spacing. When raised beds are arranged in a clean grid with wide walkways between them, you improve airflow around the plants. Better airflow helps foliage dry faster after watering or rain, which reduces the conditions that many pests and plant diseases prefer.”
Easier to Keep Clean
The clear walkways around Joanna’s raised beds also make it easier to keep the growing area clean and tidy. With plenty of room to move between the beds, gardeners can spot and remove fallen fruit, damaged vegetables, and other plant debris before they begin to attract unwanted visitors.
Kyle continued: “From a pest-control perspective, the layout also encourages better sanitation. Defined paths help keep gardeners from compacting the growing soil and make it easier to remove fallen fruit, damaged vegetables, or plant debris that can attract insects and rodents.”
Don’t Forget to Line the Bottom
If you’re keen to add raised beds to your garden, there’s one essential task Kyle recommends doing before filling your raised garden bed: lining the bottom.
He explained: “One recommendation I make, regardless of bed type, is to line the bottom with quarter-inch hardware cloth, like this Hunka wire cloth from Amazon, before filling the bed. It’s one of the most effective ways to keep burrowing pests out of vegetable gardens.”
If your raised beds are sitting on a hard surface, such as concrete or a patio, lining the base will also help protect the material underneath.
Joanna’s garden shows that raised beds can be both practical and beautiful. With thoughtful spacing, clear walkways, and a layout that makes the garden comfortable to use, even the most functional elements can become part of the overall design.
