Cinder Block Garden

I recently received a comment about my cinder block garden that made me realize I need to elaborate the "why" I chose to use them. Truth is, I have many so I'll try to explain a few.

1) Years ago, I read "Herb Gardening in Texas" by Sol Melter There are several illustrations in this showing


beneficial uses of cinder blocks and herbs. The compartments in the cinder blocks lend themselves as natural planters for herbs and plants that need some sort of containment. The blocks also have a level of flexibility in design, whether you want to bury them halfway to mark a border or stack them for a raised bed that is easier on your back.

2) Organic gardening is another factor I had to consider. Yes, there are natural wood alternatives that have a slower decomposition rate than others such as redwood and cedar. Pressure treated wood or railroad ties would not be something I would want to use for raised beds long term when growing food. Cinder blocks meet both the organic and non-rotting need I have here. It seemed an easy choice.

3) Flexibility in design. That sounds really strange when talking about concrete, but I often compare the blocks to my son's building blocks he played with for years. When I built my cinder block beds a few years ago I thought I knew what I wanted. After several seasons of gardening in them, I decided to change my design for more efficiency.



Before

After














I needed to maximize garden space and make the walking paths smaller for weed control. I  am using the same amount of space as before, but have a much greater area for planting. I've liked the option of being able to change things around. That's just one of my quirks. Efficiency is important to me.

4) Good workspace design. I like the fact I can fill most of the block cells with either plants or something more solid such as pea gravel. As you can see in the "after" photo, I have mint planted there. Good ole' invasive mint. *smile* It looks great and saves me the trouble of it choking out the rest of my herbs. Along the sides of the beds I'm going to fill them with pea sized gravel. I am amazed how much that helps when I work in the beds. I can easily place my knee pad on top of the side and work the bed with little strain or pain. It will serve to keep weeds and spiders out of there too. Black widows just love those kind of spaces and I'm not willing to get that up close and personal with them!

5) My goal for building these beds always goes back to sustainability for me. I'm not getting any younger and these beds should hold up for me for years to come. I consider them an investment into the years I may have trouble with handling harder physical labor. They take little effort to maintain and I can make changes to suit my needs.

I googled, "cinder block gardens" and was surprised to find some pretty impressive designs out there. I guess I've only scratched the surface for their uses. I need to get the ball rolling on that!

21 comments:

  1. What a great idea! I just sent my husband (the gardener here in our clan) your post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks! I hope you give it a try. I have really enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your cinderblock design puts my 1X12 raised bed design to shame. Oh well, next time.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very interesting! I might just learn some gardening from you during the blogathon. Am wondering whether cinderblocks could be used as regular containers, i.e. not planted in the earth?

    ReplyDelete
  5. @Stephanie- I'm sure you have fine looking raised beds. :) You will have to post what you are planting in them. I would love to hear about it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. @Annette - I hope you find something that helps you. It's always a wide variety of gardening projects I've gotten myself wrapped up in. You can use cinder blocks for containers also. You will jest need to water them often as they do not hold water long. Happy gardening!

    ReplyDelete
  7. My hubby just made me one of those but he filled in the holes with cement...Rats, it would have given me more space.

    How did you find the blogathon?

    ReplyDelete
  8. @Jan - I was invited by my friend, Stephanie Suesan Smith. She and I are fellow master gardeners who like to write online. I am so excited to be a part of this year's blogathon.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a great idea ! Your house is very big, typical of US houses. I love the space you have.
    I live in a flat in Mumbai, India considered to be one of the most expensive cities of the world and have a few flower pots. ;)

    But I think I can also pick up a few tips from you about gardening.
    Nisha - Le Monde-A Poetic Travail

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm working in my garden at the moment (it's a real mess) and I want to grow more herbs. Maybe a cinder block garden is the way to go. I'm off to have a proper look around - happy Blogathon 2011.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is such a great idea!! Looking forward to more of your blogathon posts!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Its a really interesting Blog. The key to successful indoor garden is what you choose to grow. Some herbs and vegetables will not fair well in an indoor setting because they need much more room than just a small container to grow in. So you need safe growing lights for this purpose.

    ReplyDelete
  13. @Nisha - A lot of Americans live outside of the cities where they can have land and its a lot cheaper. Its part of our "pioneer spirit" and land is important especially if you live in the south, like Texas. I miss the convenience of the city though. We have to drive pretty far to get to a store. --- I know you can do well growing things in containers! I love that and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

    ReplyDelete
  14. @Christine - Herbs are great growing in raised beds. In fact in some areas that's the only way you can. Most of them require sandy, well-drained soil and full sun. Planting herbs in containers is another option also.

    ReplyDelete
  15. @Samual - Thank you! You are right on growing herbs indoors. Most of them need full sun and a proper full spectrum grow light is important. I would like to have one of those nice kits I see advertised myself!

    ReplyDelete
  16. @Anjuli - Thanks, come back for another visit. :) I hope you find something that might interest you.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is a great post -- and very timely.

    As always, I'm late to the game in thinking about my garden for the summer and fall. I'd tried a smaller square-foot gardening experiment last year and already knew I wanted to transition to a raised bed this year. We've been going over options, but it's been left up to me to find a good source of non-pressure-treated wood, and I've not really had the time.

    I'd never thought of using concrete blocks! Actually, my partner is a big fan of concrete, so it shouldn't be a tough sell. I also like the idea of being able to use the blocks themselves as planters along the perimeter of the garden.

    Thanks again for sharing this great idea.

    ReplyDelete
  18. @ Jennifer - Thanks! I built most of my beds in late Fall when the temps were cooler here. It made the next season's planting doable. I try to make things easy here. :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I have a friend that grows her herbs like this. The first time I saw it, I thought what a clever idea! I don't use fresh herbs..mine come from McCormick's!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Next year, I am making space for a cinder block area. I love this clever idea. Thanks for sharing.
    Vicky

    ReplyDelete
  21. I found your blog after doing a search on using cinder block frame. I currently have a potager with raised beds, but I am going to expand this yr, but just wanted a temporary addition since I havent planned out what I am going to do. I have to admit, before posting I got a little sidetracked by the fishies below. Cute! Anyway, I am now following. Stop by my kitchen garden sometime.http://www.tammyinwv.blogspot.com/2010/07/ten-days-of-veggie-growth.html

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...