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By plantladylin | Have a few old cinder blocks lying around? They make great tomato or vegetable/herb planters for small spaces. Place in a sunny location, turn them on their side, fill with compost/soil, and pop in your plants. The cement holds in heat around the roots.
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Name: Lynn Dallas, OR (Zone 8b)              valleylynn Feb 3, 2013 7:05 PM CST |
| Lin you are the best. I've been thinking about using cinder blocks for the last several months. Tomorrow I will call and see how much they are. I love that photo you used.  |
Name: woofie NE WA (Zone 5a)           woofie Feb 3, 2013 7:16 PM CST |
| Do shop around for them! Our local garden centers and hardware stores charge twice what they cost at Home Depot! Confidence is that feeling you have right before you do something really stupid. |
Name: Vicki North Carolina       vic Feb 3, 2013 7:24 PM CST |
| I would think they would be cheapest at a place that sells brick, mortar, block, etc. ALL THINGS PLANTS ~ Garden Art ~ Purslane & Portulaca ~ CUBITS ~ Trust in the Lord ~ Heart Strength ~ Find JOY at http://joyfultimestoday.com/ |
Name: Lynn Dallas, OR (Zone 8b) valleylynn Feb 3, 2013 7:38 PM CST |
| I will woofie, thanks for the heads up. We have several businesses around Salem that make them. Will be interesting to see if they are even cheaper than Home Depot. I just check on line for HD. They have one for .99 cents. That sounds pretty good. |
Name: Lynn Dallas, OR (Zone 8b) valleylynn Feb 3, 2013 7:39 PM CST |
We cross posted Vicki.  |
Name: Mary My little patch of paradise (Zone 7b) Gardening dilettante, that's me!          fiwit Feb 3, 2013 8:29 PM CST |
| How timely! I was just thinking about cinder blocks today... I'm cleaning out the "junk room" and have some old wooden bi-fold closet doors I never found a use for. I was thinking that maybe I could build a bed with cinder blocks and put the bi-fold sections in front of them for aesthetics. Northwest Georgia Daylily Society I'm going to retire and live off of my savings. Not sure what I'll do that second week. My yard marches to the beat of a bohemian drummer... |
PA (Zone 5b)  DEMinPA Feb 4, 2013 5:32 AM CST |
I'm retired and I decided I wanted a few strawberries. I went to a place where they make blocks and bricks and bought "seconds" for $.50 a piece. A load of topsoil and strawberry plants and added bunny M & M's. Now I hope I can sit down to pick the berries. Don |
Name: Joanne Calgary, AB Canada (Zone 3a)        Joannabanana Feb 4, 2013 8:08 AM CST |
| Wonderful gardening idea Plantladylin! I had about 8 left over from my veggie raised garden project and stacked them in my garden stuff storage area along the side of the house. I use the blocks to store all my bamboo sticks and other plant stakes. |
Name: Lynn Dallas, OR (Zone 8b) valleylynn Feb 4, 2013 8:33 AM CST |
DEM, thank you for that idea on seconds. That would make it about 1/2 price.  |
Name: Vicki North Carolina vic Feb 4, 2013 9:13 AM CST |
I'm so old I remember when concrete block was 18 cents a piece  ALL THINGS PLANTS ~ Garden Art ~ Purslane & Portulaca ~ CUBITS ~ Trust in the Lord ~ Heart Strength ~ Find JOY at http://joyfultimestoday.com/ |
Name: Lynn Dallas, OR (Zone 8b) valleylynn Feb 4, 2013 9:16 AM CST |
Beam me back Scottie.  |
Name: Lin Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)        plantladylin Feb 4, 2013 9:40 AM CST |
| um ... I did use a couple of old cinderblocks at our old house years ago for planters, but I don't remember submitting this tip. And, the photo is not mine ... credit goes to Greenfield (Diana)! Great photo! ~ Eat, Sleep .... Play in the dirt ~ |
Name: Lynn Dallas, OR (Zone 8b) valleylynn Feb 4, 2013 10:03 AM CST |
| That is why the photo looked familiar. I've been to Diana's place. It is amazing. |
Name: Joanne Calgary, AB Canada (Zone 3a) Joannabanana Feb 4, 2013 10:12 AM CST |
| Still an awesome tip, who ever submitted it. Thanks Dianna and Lin |
Name: Lynn Dallas, OR (Zone 8b) valleylynn Feb 4, 2013 11:03 AM CST |
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Name: Lin Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a) plantladylin Feb 4, 2013 11:06 AM CST |
I just love that raised bed in her photo ... makes me envious. I wish I could have something like that but we live in a deed restricted community and we are extremely limited to what we can do in our own yard.  ~ Eat, Sleep .... Play in the dirt ~ |
Name: Lynn Dallas, OR (Zone 8b) valleylynn Feb 4, 2013 1:17 PM CST |
| Even the backyard? |
Name: Rick Corey Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a) Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f      RickCorey Feb 4, 2013 2:13 PM CST |
| They look better if you paint them with a roller. "Sand" kind of fades into the background. You c an smooth the surface somewhat by rubbing two blocks against each other, or rubbing them with a brick. Then you have to wash the dust off before painting. Hiding the holes with some kind of top cover (like a paving stone) also makes them look better. That also makes it easier to set things down on them. I think it would take a triple row before they were high enough to sit on! Someone planted trailing things like lobelia or alyssum in the holes, and they hide the blocks a little. Just because it ISN'T complicated doesn't mean I can't MAKE it complicated! Weather Links ~ Sunset Zones ~ Degree Days ~~ National Gardening Association Kitazawa Seeds ~ Tainong Seeds ~~ ATP Member Map ~~ My Blogs ~~ Coop Extension Finder Seriously Hot Peppers ~~ Seed Library Resources ~~ Piggy Swap Chat #11 |
Name: woofie NE WA (Zone 5a) woofie Feb 4, 2013 2:30 PM CST |
| You know, I have never had any luck planting things in the holes. They always end up dying on me. What am I doing wrong??? I even tried lining the holes with plastic grow bags so the water wouldn't all run out the bottom immediately. sigh. Confidence is that feeling you have right before you do something really stupid. |
Name: Lynn Dallas, OR (Zone 8b) valleylynn Feb 4, 2013 3:17 PM CST |
| What did you plant in the holes woofie? |
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