Cinder blocks are a cheap and basic way to construct a customized garden bed. The simple process begins with adding long-lasting, green sod at the bottom of your raised bed. Next, pack down the soil and build up a stone wall that will keep water from seeping through the bottom of your raised bed. Once finished, water your raised bed with a sprinkler system or hose to make sure it stays fully moist.
Cinder blocks are perfect for raising your garden, making a raised bed and more. With cinder blocks and a few simple materials, you can save money on your gardening venture and create years of beautiful gardens.
Raised beds are an excellent way to get your garden started and make a great addition to any yard. Cinder blocks make an ideal material for raised bed construction because they’re durable, inexpensive and easy to work with. By following these steps, you can easily construct a cinder block raised bed in no time at all.
Select a location for your raised bed.
The location of your raised bed is an important consideration. You will want to pick a sunny spot that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. It should also be located in the shadows in the afternoon, so consider your sun patterns when deciding on a location for your raised bed.
If possible, place the raised bed close to a water source and/or compost pile for easy access.
Get cinder blocks, hardware cloth and gravel
Cinder blocks are a great, inexpensive option for building your raised bed. They’re easy to find at home improvement stores and come in different sizes and shapes, so you can build any shape or size garden bed that you want. You can also stack cinder blocks in different ways to create different shapes as well. If you don’t like the appearance of plain cinder blocks, you can paint them or even try growing plants in the holes of a cinder block wall.
Cinder blocks have many other uses besides simple garden beds: they could be used as steps for outdoor seating areas or even as bench tops for indoor projects such as bathroom vanities. And if the idea of a bare-bones cinder block garden bed isn’t quite exciting enough for your taste, try covering it with gravel or mulch for an extra layer of texture and visual appeal.
Arrange the cinder blocks to form a square shape
You can now use the level to make sure your cinder block rectangle is completely leveled. Next, lay down your first row of blocks. You’ll want these touching each other, with no air gaps in between them.
Next comes the second row of blocks on top of the first row. Again, make sure that these are spaced correctly and touching each other so there aren’t any gaps in between them.
Repeat this process for all three layers until you’ve reached your desired height! If you’re building a 4″ high bed like we did here, this will take 3 layers worth of blocks (6″ total).
Cut the hardware cloth
- Cut the hardware cloth to the size of your raised bed: Use a saw, utility knife or scissors to cut the hardware cloth to fit the dimensions of your raised bed.
- Attach a corner piece: Place one of the 8-foot pieces on top of two cinder blocks (or other supports) and attach it by drilling two large holes through each block and inserting a screw into each hole. Tie off loose ends with duct tape as necessary to keep them from unraveling. Repeat this process for all four corners, then add more blocks around each side until you have reached desired height.
Assemble the hardware cloth inside of your cinder block raised bed.
- Lay the hardware cloth down over the cinder blocks.
- Make sure that it is taut and level, using zip ties to hold it in place if needed.
- Once everything looks good from above, take a step back and admire your work! You’re almost done!
- Use a hammer to pound the hardware cloth flat against the bottom of each cinder block, making sure there are no gaps between them and the gravel inside them (you could also fill these before you hammer).
Fill in between the cinder blocks with gravel.
Fill in between the cinder blocks with gravel.
Gravel is a great material to use for raised bed filling because it provides drainage, so you don’t have to worry about standing water collecting at the bottom of your bed and rotting roots. How much gravel you should use depends on how wide your cinder block walls are, but a general rule of thumb is 1 inch of gravel for every 4 inches that your wall is tall (for example, if each side of your square cinder block walls are 12 inches long, then fill them up with 24 inches of gravel). If you have some extra time on your hands, putting an additional layer or two on top of this will help further improve drainage and prevent water from collecting against the sides. Ideally, fill in between all four sides using loose material such as pea rock or field stone; this will create uniform drainage throughout all areas within each square and make watering easy later down the line.
Now you have a sturdy, elevated planting area perfect for gardeners of any level of experience.
You’re ready to grow something! The raised bed is sturdy and elevated, so it’s perfect for gardeners of any level of experience. You can use it to grow herbs, vegetables and fruits; flowers; berries or gourds.
Final words
Congratulations, you’re now ready to start planting.
