Interesting reading!
My mom wants some more veggies at her house this year and with the flower bed areas filling in I considered the inexpensive pre-fab raised beds and ruled them out, the closer you get to an actual raised bed kit the more the idea co$ts. I was curious about mortar but as mentioned in the thread there are a few adhesives for landscape blocks to choose from. I think last I used was a Loctite product and the job has held up fine for 10 years or more. The house was painted last year and there is leftover exterior paint. I like the idea of painting those ugly gray blocks and perhaps using a contrasting paver for caps? Think I'll get some bagged garden soil and start a grass kill and plan on the raised cinder block bed being a Mother's Day thing.
It'll give her lawn loving neighbor something to worry about until it's completion.
