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- Cinder Block Raised Beds -

I decided to build my raised bed garden out of cinder blocks due to the cost and longevity. I live in Las Vegas and didn’t want to have to replace wooden beds every few years or so. Plus, they’re sturdy as hell, modular and building them only entails stacking them. They also make adding poles for netting or trellisses very convenient due to the holes.
One thing I would do differently is figure out how many I needed in advance and have them delivered in bulk, rather than hauling them all by my blood sweat and tears. But I built these beds out gradually so it wasn’t too bad.

Lay Out Plan

  • Tools needed:
    • Measuring tape
  • Determine bed size by measuring the areas you plan to place the beds
  • Square & rectangle shapes allow for more growing efficiency
  • Keep in mind areas that get full sun, partial sun and shade.
  • Keep in mind where your current irrigation lines are if you have them or if not where you plan to run them and reserve space for them accordingly.
  • Be mindful of your current vegetation and make sure the beds are not placed over their roots.

Clear the Ground

  • Tools Used
    • Metal Rake
    • Square Point Shovel
    • Cart
  • My backyard is covered in landscaping rocks so i first had to haul those out in the areas where my beds would be, using a rake to rake them into a pile, then shoveling them into a cart and moving them to another area in my yard.

Pre-level the Ground

  • Tools Used
    • Rake
    • Hand Tamp
  • After the rocks were removed and I had mostly just dirt to work with I raked the dirt to get it somewhat level. 
  • Then went over it with a hand tamp to further level it by eye.
  • This makes it easier to level your cinder blocks later on

Cinder Block Quantity

  • Determine how many cinder blocks you’ll need based on the dimensions of the bed and blocks.
  • For example: 

Source Cinder Blocks

  • If it is a substantial amount, say 200+ pieces, I would look into a industrial supply and purchase by the pallet with delivery
  • If its a lesser amount, your local big box stores will be fine. They run about 1.50 a piece and charge $80 for truck delivery, but not sure what the quantity limit is for that price

Cinder Block Transport

  • Keep in mind, these are super heavy, if you know beforehand how many you want, I highly recommend paying to have them delivered
  • I built my beds in stages so I just made trips back and forth as needed and loaded them on my truck with about 24 blocks each trip. 
  • Its a ton of work and if I did it over I’d opt to buy them all at once and have it delivered. 
  • Keep in mind load capacities for the vehicle if you choose the diy route. These blocks are 30+ lbs each.

Garden Bed Perimeter

  • Make a mock up perimeter for the bed so you have a guide on where to lay the blocks
  • Using stakes and string is recommended but I opted to just put an object like a rock at each of the four corners and just eyeball it from there.

Wet the Ground

  • This makes the ground easier to work with to get the blocks level
  • Dont soak it, just make it damp

Lay Cinder Block

  • I started by adding a bit of dirt on top of the pre-leveled ground where I will lay the first block
  • This helps so the block can sit in a slightly higher position and I can hammer it in place and it’ll be more sturdy
  • Lay the block over the first prepped area

Level Cinder Block

  • Tools Needed
    • Small Level
    • Rubber hammer
  • Check for level in all directions by laying level on the cinder block from side to side and from front to back
  • See what areas are low and high
  • Hammer it in places that need adjustment
  • If that doesn’t work, move the block to the side and add/remove dirt as necessary
  • Place cinder block back, check for level and hammer again for further adjustment 
  • Repeat this process as necessary 

Gardening

Filling Beds

DIY

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#staycollected