My beautiful raised bed was thriving in summer 2019, filled with plenty of different vegetables and flowers. I have a few favorite vegetables for raised beds though!

Some of us have been at it for a while now, but I know that plenty of people feel inspired to start growing now that summer is in full bloom. And why not! June is actually a great time to get going, and you can start harvesting your first vegetables already in a few weeks.

Raised bed-gardening is a favorite among many gardeners. That's why I wanted to write a bit more about the best vegetables for raised beds. You can get started with these without too many preparations! You don't have to grow these in a raised bed though. A regular bed outdoors works great too. Make sure it's around 31 x 47 inches (ca 80 x 120 centimeters) large.

6 Vegetables for Raised Beds

These are my favorite picks for raised bed-gardening that you can sow now in June.

• snow peas
• snap peas
• summer carrots
• lettuce
• beets
• dill

There are plenty of snow pea varieties out there, tall as well as low-growing ones.

Newly harvested snap peas in multiple colors. Parboil quickly before freezing the beans.

Summer carrots, harvested in early summer. These carrots are smaller and more tender than the ones described as late carrots or winter carrots.

The sowing

Sow your vegetables in six rows widthwise. I would suggest growing the snow peas closer to the edge so that they don't take up that much space in the middle of your raised bed.

One of the challenges of sowing in summer is actually getting the seeds to germinate. This can be a bit difficult if it's very hot and dry outside. My best tip is to water the soil a few times (a couple of hours apart) before sowing the seeds. This will help the seeds grow properly.

Draw up six rows across your raised bed, scatter the seeds in the rows and add a little soil on top. Sow your snow peas, snap peas and beets an inch (around 3 cm) or so apart. You can put the other seeds closer together. No need to get too caught up on measuring it every time, it will become intuitive after a while.

This lovely lettuce is called Intred, a small Romaine variety with red leaves. You can grow the plants quite close together which is perfect for a raised bed.

Lovely little beets harvested in late summer and fall, from a sowing that I did in June. Remember that you can eat the leaves too!

I scattered the dill seeds in a tight row with plenty of little seeds close together. When you sow the dill like this, you won't notice that a few seeds here and there don't germinate. The row will usually grow nice and lush still. This is one of my favorite vegetables for raised beds.

Remember to...

• only use early carrots, also called summer carrots
• water a little bit every day until the seeds germinate
• support the snow peas as soon as you see the plants above the soil
• cover the soil with grass clippings when the plants grow to an inch (a few centimeters) tall
• both beet and carrot leaves are edible and you can use them in salads
• the dill will start growing again after you harvest it

You can of course decide yourself how you want to arrange your raised bed.

I grow on a bigger scale in my main kitchen garden at home, simply because I have a big family. But you can of course grow as much or as little as you want in your raised beds.

Even a small raised garden bed can make a huge difference! If you pick these vegetables for raised beds, then I'm sure that you will want to grow even more in other parts of your garden too. Check out some of the other articles on my blog to find more content about growing vegetables at home. You can use the search bar on the home page (on your computer) or in the menu (on the phone) to find more information about the vegetables you want to know more about.

I built the raised bed in the video below last year. Check it out to learn more about how to build a raised garden bed:

Read more:

Starting a small vegetable garden part 1
Garden DIY: Creating new garden paths
My best practical gardening tips
Grow your own fast food at home
A Swedish cottage garden in May 

Good luck!
/Sara Bäckmo