Start with a simple idea, create a practical layout you can change, and walk away with a plan of action!
Explore JoeBees
Design Studio
Build layouts directly on a 12-inch grid with drag-and-drop plants and instant spacing feedback.
Design Studio
Build layouts directly on a 12-inch grid with drag-and-drop plants and instant spacing feedback.
Catalog
Browse plants by category, then jump into detail pages with spacing, zones, and care context.
Learning
See practical walkthroughs for raised bed sizing, companion strategy, and seasonal planning.
Templates
Start from curated layouts and adapt dimensions or plant choices to your own space.
Product Story
Learn the project vision, design approach, and why JoeBees is free to use.
How It Works
Choose dimensions, sun exposure, zone, and soil context in under a minute.
Drag plants onto the 12-inch cell grid with realistic spacing footprints.
Export your plan, generate a recap, and take a clean garden sheet outside.
Yes - JoeBees is completely free to use. No account, no subscription, and no credit card required.
Yes. The planner lets you create, rename, duplicate, switch between, and delete multiple beds in the same browser, so you can plan a whole yard one bed at a time.
Keep width at or under 4 feet so you can reach the center without stepping in. The most popular size is 4x8 ft (32 sq ft), which Mel Bartholomew recommends as a starter size in Square Foot Gardening. For tight spaces, a 4x4 (16 sq ft) works well. Add length, not width, as you expand.
Square-foot gardening divides a raised bed into 12-inch cells. Each cell holds a specific number of plants based on mature spacing - 16 radishes in one cell, 1 tomato across a 2x2 block. The method was developed by Mel Bartholomew and eliminates traditional row spacing, reducing water use and weeding.
Yes. Every plant in the database carries companion and antagonist lists sourced from extension-style references. The planner flags conflict risks on the canvas, and the AI layout generator is instructed to keep incompatible plants separated.
You can print a take-outside garden sheet, export the current bed as JSON, export all beds, share the current bed, and use the recap page for plant shopping and raised-bed materials.
