Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
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Wednesday - March 25, 2015
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Using Cement Blocks for Raised Beds
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
Is it safe to use cinder blocks for box gardens? If not, what do you suggest?ANSWER:
Generally there are a lot of people with testimonials online about successfully using cinder (cement) blocks for raised beds that contain vegetable or flower gardens. There are some people though that have concerns about excessive alkalinity leaching from the cement into already alkaline soils. Also some have issued warnings about toxins being present in the cement blocks. In both these situations they recommend using a concrete sealant and polymer paint before putting in the soil. And if you have concerns about the sealant or paint being close to edible plants, then a thick plastic liner can be installed between the blocks and the soil.
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