We have been impressed by the use of concrete blocks in some of your raised beds being used to contain rollers. We need to do some grade work on the west side of our house and are considering using retaining wall block to create a long raised bed along the house and use the block cores for rollers and other small plants. We like the wider webbing for better points to kneel on while working in the beds and the larger cores for more planting space. A couple questions if anyone has experience with this:
We have very dry winters but cold with the soil freezing solid better than four feet deep. Really don't want the block cores to become swimming pools in the spring when the deep soil is frozen but the top couple feet are thawed. If the lower cores are filled with coarse gravel and set on a base of sharp fill, but not below the frost line, would these drain or just accumulate ice between the gravel and still prevent drainage?
Any other obvious problems?
Thanks!
I put some potted semps in the attached pictures to keep it relevant.
