Types of Gardens: Find the Perfect Fit for Your Home

Written by: Luke Marion

Published on December 15, 2016

Updated on April 17, 2025

What do you think of when you hear the word garden? You might think of serene Japanese gardens or a quaint little vegetable plot nestled next to a cottage or the container garden right outside your back door.

Whatever comes to mind, a garden is so much more than just a place to grow plants. It is therapy for the gardener, a way to enjoy nature and create something useful and beautiful.

Regardless of what you plan to plant, here are the basic types of gardens and the pros and cons of each to help you choose the best style for you.

A man harvesting radishes in his garden.

Find What Works For You

One of the most empowering things for me was recognizing that I could grow a garden myself. And you can too! The goal behind this post is to share the different types of gardens (along with some recommended gardening methods) so that you can find what works for you.

After all, the more you know, the more you can grow! That is the reason I freely share my gardening know-how in posts like these:

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Where to Start When Starting a Garden

This blog post is a great place to begin if you’re new to gardening or starting a new garden. Before you plant the first seed, take the time to plan and things will go much smoother.

A question I hear all the time is, “What if I fail because I pick the wrong style of garden or the wrong gardening method?” To that I would say that it’s better to just get started than worry about getting it wrong.

Don’t overthink things. You can always make changes to your garden style or methods later, but the experience you gain if you start now is invaluable!

Different Types of Gardens

Whether you want to grow a flower garden or vegetable garden, herb garden or desert garden, you will need to start with one of the following types of gardens as your foundation. Let’s bridge the gap between all gardens by looking at the foundational garden types.

In-Ground Garden

In-ground gardening is one of the easiest ways to get started gardening; however, it can also be one of the most challenging to maintain. Weeds will be your number one enemy!

Many people till the soil in in-ground gardens to help combat weeds and soil compaction, but tilling kills worms and beneficial soil microbes and bacteria! Regularly flipping and turning the soil, especially through rototilling, will break down the soil structure and negatively impact soil quality.

Pros	Cons
Cost-effective because there is comparatively little equipment needed to start an in-ground garden	Good soil is hard to come by, and there may not be good soil where you want your in-ground garden
Easy to start	Weeds are usually a big problem
Easy to start	Often requires the most space
Easy to change methods	Slower, later start in the spring
Easy to change methods	Bare soil is susceptible to solarization

If you choose in-ground gardening, I recommend using a no-till method and mulching to simulate nature, reduce weed pressure, and promote healthy soil mycology.

Raised Bed Garden

Raised bed gardening is an above-ground gardening method. Garden beds can be made from galvanized steel, wood, bricks, strawbales, or mounds that elevate the soil above its original level.

Raised beds are one of my favorite types of gardens because they offer so many benefits to the gardener that increase the likelihood of success! Use these raised garden bed ideas to discover which above-ground bed styles are best for your space.

Pros	Cons
Elevated soil allows for better drainage	Initial investment cost of building or purchasing raised beds
Soil warms faster in spring, which means earlier planting	Soil can dry out faster than in-ground gardening, so it may require more watering
Get to choose the quality of soil you put in the beds
Decreased weeds	Harder to change methods - raised beds are more permanent than in-ground gardens
Elevated beds require less stooping and bending, which is easier on a gardener’s back

A raised garden bed doesn't have to be expensive or difficult to build. Watch this video to learn my hack for building an instant raised bed garden.

Potager Garden

A French-style potager garden is an attractive, more formal style garden emphasizing symmetry, design, and elegance. Traditional potagers mainly grow vegetables in raised beds, but you can also choose to grow medicinal plants, flowers, fruits, and herbs.

A unique characteristic of the potager is the use of transitional crops to grow throughout the seasons! Watch this video to learn how to use transitional crops to make a garden for all seasons.

Pros	Cons
Aesthetic appeal that enhances property value and personal enjoyment	Higher cost than a traditional vegetable garden
Especially good for pollinators and beneficial insects due to the continuous year-round cycle of crops	More strategic planning is needed to achieve and maintain this garden
Offers the same benefits as other raised bed gardens	Usually requires more time to maintain than a traditional vegetable garden

Container Garden

Container gardening is simply growing a garden in containers like pots or fabric grow bags. It allows so much flexibility to garden anywhere, from a balcony to a patio, a windowbox planter to pots in nooks and crannies around your yard!

Container gardening is popular and fun, for good reason! All the benefits of gardening can be had in square inches, rather than square feet.

Pros	Cons
Maximize efficient use of space	Soil tends to dry out faster in containers than in in-ground gardens or raised beds, and so requires more regular watering
Plant gardens where plants normally cannot grow
Focuses care on individual plants vs. the garden as a whole	Initial investment to buy containers and fill them with soil
Small footprint - works for gardens where there is not much available space	Nutrients need replenishing more often
Easily moved and non-permanent	Pot size limits growth
Decreased weeds	Pot size limits growth

Watch this video to learn how to choose the best containers for growing. And remember, when container gardening, follow a steady watering schedule so your plants don’t dry out.

Vertical Garden

In a vertical garden, plants are grown upwards using vertical surfaces like walls, trellises, vertical planters, or stakes. While the foundational garden type may be an in-ground garden, raised beds, or containers, a vertical garden uniquely optimizes the use of space by growing plants up instead of sprawling out.

Pairing high-intensity spacing with growing vertically allows you to grow more plants in less space.

Pros	Cons
Grow more plants in fewer square feet	Initial cost of vertical supports
Healthier plants due to better airflow and reduced splash on leaves during watering and rain	Depending on the design, plants may shade each other
Easier maintenance and harvesting because the plants are lifted off the ground	May need to replenish soil nutrients more often than traditional gardening
Cleaner produce because it lessens the contact with soil, pests, and water splash

Vertical gardening techniques can be implemented in any garden, even if you don’t convert your entire garden to a vertical one. If you’re ready to try vertical gardening, here are my 5 tips for vertical gardening success!

Cottage Garden

An English cottage garden is a charming casual garden that is densely planted with flowers, herbs, and other edibles. It is designed to look wild, seeming to ignore common gardening tenets.

The storybook feel of a cottage garden, with its jumbled sea of colors, is inviting and relaxing. Are you ready to learn how to design your own cottage garden?

Pros	Cons
Attracts beneficial insects and birds with its variety of plants	Overcrowding can lead to issues (like increased risk of powdery mildew )
Can be a beautiful sensory garden
Relatively easy to maintain	Lower yields than other types of gardens if you are trying to produce food
Doesn’t leave any bare soil

I hope you enjoy our cottage garden tour video.

Hydroponic Garden

Hydroponics is the process of growing plants using a nutrient solution in water instead of soil. It is a unique way of growing indoors and in water, similar to aquaponics, which additionally incorporates fish in the water.

The water-soluble nutrients feed the plants right at the source, leading to fast growth and the ability to grow without soil. Some folks may be intimidated by hydroponics, believing that there is complicated science required for the process. However, the Kratky method is not complicated.

The Kratky Hydroponic method is perfect for beginners because it is simple, letting the plants do all of the work for you. This system requires no air pumps, no electricity, and minimal attention. Watch this video to see how I set up my complete Kratky Hydroponic system from start to finish.

Pros	Cons
Grow without soil	Dependent on indoor lights and synthetic fertilizers
Can be outdoors or indoors	Expensive to set up and maintain.
Potentially provide the fastest plant growth rate of any gardening style	Maybe reliant on electricity or another power source (depending on setup)
Uses less water than traditional gardens (due to water recirculation)	Root rot occurs if improperly managed

Choosing the Best Garden Type for You

Looking at different types of gardens can spark new ideas and inspiration. My garden is a compilation of different types and methods that I have learned over years. I didn’t discover everything all at once!

My advice to you is be realistic with what garden type and size will fit in your budget and schedule. It’s okay to start small.

Too large of a garden can easily overwhelm and discourage a gardener, while a small garden eases them into the tasks. You can always expand your garden later on.

If cost is an obstacle, you may want to start with an in-ground garden because it is inexpensive. Then convert it, overtime, to the type of garden you really want.

Let’s grow bigger!

Are there different types of gardens?

Yes, read this post to learn about the 7 most common types of gardens.

What is the most common garden layout?

The most common garden layout is long straight rows of plants.

How to find your garden style?

Once you decide which type of garden to plant, take the time to observe other gardens to find out what you like. Then, don’t be afraid to make it your own. A garden can express your personal creativity with unique elements, your favorite plants, and your own customized design.