Lynn, Joanne, and Rick - Thank you!

Rick - I used a tube of construction adhesive to "glue" the cinder blocks and caps together. My yard slopes and erodes, so I had to adhere the cinder blocks together somehow to keep them from shifting. The two center garden squares are made from recycled plastic slates. I won't use wood here at all anymore. The slates were more expensive, but should also last a long time. They are flimsy compared to the cinder blocks but they sit on the top surface of each layer of bed without sinking down, which is good!

I've seen the 12" square paver idea, too. I had considered that as well, but I like the cinder blocks and caps because they are wider and serve double duty as a place to sit to weed or plant in the 3-tiered bed. I've tried all different ways to make garden beds and this has worked the best for me considering where I live, my sloping backyard, and the climate. The best part is how cheap the cinder blocks are! I don't think there is anything I could purchase cheaper. I know getting material free from a refuse or recycle company would be even better, but I did not have any luck pursuing that idea.

One thing to keep in mind if you make a small garden bed using cinder blocks is that the cinder blocks will leach lime into the soil against the blocks. So be aware of that fact. You could make the cinder block bed and then let it sit for a month or so during the rainy season before filling with soil to wash away some of the lime. Just a suggestion. So far, I have not had a problem with the lime at all. I have the spider plants growing in the holes of the cinder blocks with no apparent ill affect.

>> My yard slopes and erodes, so I had to adhere the cinder blocks together somehow to keep them from shifting

Wow, that sounds like a lot of slope! But then, my soil is clay that will take an edge and stand up perfectly vertical and square for a few years, despite months of drizzle and a few hard rains. I thin k of it as requiring dynamite to shift soil ... but sandy soil probably flows with gravity or the wind.

>> The best part is how cheap the cinder blocks are!

I didn't know that, I just assumed the opposite. Hmm, I see some applications for a heftier bottom row!

>> recycled plastic slates ... without sinking down

That's good. Even light cedar slats tend to sink into my soil. I was trying to get some 2-3 inch "steps" into the soil surface of a bed on a slope, so that watering would sink in and not run off.

Are those the "plastic wood" that I sometimes see?

Rick - Living in Florida, my yard is very sandy and therefore easily eroding over the years. I need to plant more raised beds throughout my backyard to stop the erosion. That takes time and money which I don't have a lot of right now. But I do try to add a little at a time each year.

The recycled plastic lumber slates are similar to these:
http://www.markstaar.com/Recyc...

I found 1 1/2" X 8" X 8' slates and they were something like $25 each at Home Depot a year ago. I don't know if they still carry them, but they were expensive but exactly what I was looking for. They won't rot.

The cinder blocks cost me about $1.20 each and the caps were $1.40 each a year ago. This is what they are listed for now at Home Depot:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/...
Oddly, I don't see the cinder block size that I used. I only see 8" x 4" x 16" cinder blocks. Hmmmm .... I am sure they still make the ones I used. The blocks I used were 8" H x 8" D x 16" L.

The caps were the most expensive, so if you don't use concrete top cap blocks, you could create a raised bed for relatively cheap if you just build it one cinder block high (which is 8" high). I forget how many blocks it took me to create the bottom bed of the 3-tiered bed, but it was actually 10" high with the caps added. Being 8" in depth, they are a wide enough area to sit on.

My raised bed will look a lot better once the cinder blocks and caps are painted blue, IMHO. I need to sand down the smeared construction adhesive first though to get a smoother paint finish.

8x8x16, $1.25 each

http://www.homedepot.com/webap...

We have a local place that I can get them for 90¢ apiece for that size.

Lucky you, Lynn! Ours cost more like $1.50 or more around here. I'd love to be able to make a bed like Becky has, tho.

THANKS! I'm taking notes and saving links and starring posts.

I could have higher walls, and more stable walls, if the bottom row or two were cinder blocks. I would probably paint mine a red-brick color to match all m y concrete pavers. In retrospect, I could have bought gray ones and then painted them neutral colors.

For sanding, if you're not using power tools, you might try what I was taught for smoothing cinder bloc ks before priming. Use a fragment of one cinder block to rub down the blocks in the wall. You don't get a satin-smooth finish, but it knocks down the high spots right away, and the c hunk you use to rub rapidly becomes pretty smooth.

P.S. I find that SOME pavers have white salts accumulate on the outer surface, and other pavers develop a line or splotch of green algae (or maybe fine lichens). It doesn't bother me much, but water-resistant paint might prevent that.

Do you see anything like that with cinder blocks?

I measured my raised bed. It is an inch and a half over 9' square. The second bed is 4' square. And the top bed is 2' square. I spent about $35 to make the cinder block bed. The other two beds were very expensive. It took three 8' long recycled plastic boards to make them. That cost me over $80 which about killed me to spend so much for such a little bit of plastic wood! But all of it will last a very long time. I have not seen any issues with the cinder blocks. There are some stained spots on the cinder block tops from where I had plants sitting, but the sun will bleach it out. Painting it will also eliminate that issue. I will probably need to seal the cinder blocks once I paint them to keep the paint from getting stained by dirt. The bed gets full sun year round. I do notice some cinder blocks get a little algae growing on them if they are in a shady, damp spot. But if they were painted or sealed, that would not happen.

I did a little research previously to see what might be a good product to seal the cinder blocks and concrete benches with. I found this product:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LNW8RE/

I don't know if Home Depot or Lowes stocks this product, but to preserve my finished beds and benches, it would be worth the added expense and work.

Oops! I need to revise the cost of the cinder block bed. I also forgot to mention that it took 26 cinder blocks AND tops. The tops added to the price by more than double. Probably added another $40. So the real cost of the cinder block bed was was likely around $90 - $100 because I also used the construction adhesive to glue the blocks and tops all together. Then add to that the cost of the other 2 tiered beds, it cost me about $200 not including the soil that had to be added to such a large garden bed area. You could make a smaller 3-tiered bed for much cheaper if you didn't use the plastic wood. You can make it as cheap or expensive as you wanted. My attitude was I wanted something that would last a long time and not require a lot of maintenance. I think I have finally found the answer using cinder blocks and concrete.

I originally had all wooden framed beds and they all rotted here in damp Florida after about 3 years. I also had an issue with carpenter ants and termites after the second year. This was treated wood, too! Grrrr ... I hated having to keep replacing the wooden frames. I am not getting any younger. Trying to build a bed around an existing one with dirt already in it is a real pain! This new cinder block bed won't require replacing every few years. It will probably last longer than me! I love it! That bed is what convinced me to do ALL my beds in concrete. Not all my beds are cinder blocks either.

I learned another neat trick using concrete. I'll have to take a photo of a project I've started. It's not finished yet. I have a large wood framed bed around an Oak tree. The wood has been rotting. So I've been laying down 60 lb. concrete bags around the outside of the wooden frame. I wet down the bags with a water hose and covered all the damp bags with plastic and let it harden. I continue to wet them down every day for about 3 days. They set up nice and hard by then. I peel the paper bag off each one and I now have what looks like medium stones framing out this garden bed. And because that area slopes pretty bad. I plan to add a second row from the lowest point to half way up the slope to make it look level. And the bags before the concrete hardens conform very nicely to the ground underneath each bag, so I don't have to mess with trying to make sure the ground is level or perfect. It looks like a short stone wall. No rocks for cheap or free in Florida, so I am making my own medium stones from bags of concrete! Also relatively cheap. I think the last bag of concrete I bought was less than $3. The bags are a decent size but heavy. Using them will definitely help stop the erosion in my yard! And should last nearly forever! And after they weather, they really look like stones and not concrete! Concrete really works well here in Florida! The only thing is you don't want to stack them too high because that could be dangerous if they should fall over. No more than 3 bags high. I doubt I will use more than 2 bags high. I might also try standing the bags on their sides instead of laying them flat on the ground. That could make a nice border or bed frame too. The one bad thing about these bags is the weight. I usually pick up a few bags every so often and add to my garden bed. Not worth hurting my back over. So I just add a few at a time until each bed is done. And since I am putting them around the outside of the existing garden bed, I don't have to do anything else once each bed is done. The wood frame on the inside will eventually completely rot and then the bed will expand out slightly to the concrete stones!

Be sure the check out this link by clicking on the slide show link. There are so many ideas for using cinder blocks that it boggles my mind!

http://www.houzz.com/cinder-bl...

One of the ideas I like is the cinder block pond with a waterfall. That is on my wish list to build!

Cool! I bet you're right about a waterproof over-coat or primer preventing staining.

The person who suggesting painting cinder blocks said that she used regular indoor latex paint, and even diluted it with water! It seemed to me that that would soak in so fast you would need many c oats, but she said "no". I think she was only changing their color from beige to sand.

I'm definitely going to change this wall with 1-2 courses of cinder blocks along the bottom, and probably run the pavers the "short way" along the top.



The only downside I see is that my yard is so small that the (6"?) width of cinder blocks will consume 6 times as many square feet as the 1" or 3/4" thick pavers.

THey make smaller cinder blocks that are still less expensive than other options.

I just purchased 2 pallets of splitface concrete blocks for 90¢ each. I was so excited when I found these discontinued blocks. The outward facing block looks more like stone instead of concrete. http://www.rcpblock.com/block_...

Google to see if you have a local source of manufactured concrete items.

I am sooooo jealous! I have to pay extra to get those! Lucky you!

I couldn't believe it. They still have a couple pallets left. Also two pallets of really dark colored ones.

Hey, as long as we're spending your money, Lynn, I'll bet you could get a really interesting effect by sponging a lighter color on those dark blocks.

I plant on planting things in the holes, that will drape over the sides. Hmmm, hadn't thought about staining them.

Rick - I see what you mean about the depth of your pavers. The cinder blocks I have are 8" deep. But ... I have seen skinner cinder blocks. Check several places before you decide! http://www.cinderblockonline.c...

Lynn - You really lucked out finding those for .90 each! Wow! I love the stone look too! Please share photos when you are finished with your bed.

Did you see the link I posted earlier? http://remodelista.com/posts/d...
Scroll down to the 2nd and 3rd photos. That type of planters would look really nice using a few of those stone finish cinder blocks. I love succulents and they grow better than any other plants in my tipsy clay pots: http://www.bing.com/images/sea...

Because of the heat and sun in Florida, succulents thrive in the clay pots, but I bet they would also do well in the holes of those cinder blocks if they were just left in pots sunk into the holes or planted in the holes. That is my newest kick ... succulents!

Becky, I love those tipsy pots. If I have some extra blocks left over after building the beds, I may put some along the cement retainer wall along the front of our property. That would create more depth to the planting area.

Lynn - Here is a link on how to make a tipsy pot arrangement: http://gardensandcrafts.com/ti... or http://www.birdsandblooms.com/...

I have 3 in my yard. One arrangement is sticking up out of a large pot at the front of my house. People coming to my front door often comment on it and try to figure out how I got those pots to stack on top of each other like that. Succulents grow great in them here in Florida! I have trouble growing most other plants in them because they dry out so fast. But I do grow certain flowering plants in them as well. Succulents really do the best of all !!!

This is one of the tipsy pots that is in a drought area of my yard. I grow some veggies in buckets as you can see in the background.