Has anyone found a way to make cinder blocks less ugly?
The garden is happy and healthy and I’m grateful of course – I’m just not so stoked on the cinder block aesthetic. Has anyone experimented with that? Before I go buy a bunch of nonsense at Home Depot
by Lazy-Afternoon6567
45 Comments
Sun_Representative
You can paint them
frogdeity
Flat decorative pavers over the cinderblocks
MangoAV8
I think if you covered the top of the blocks with some 2x8s (ideally cedar if you can afford it, looks like you’re in the south likely in a rainy area), it would drastically change the feeling of it all. Could even paint the sides of the blocks to match or compliment the darker brown of the cedar and the mulch.
BandGeek72
I used to fill mine with dirt and plant zinnias all around, but this year I cleaned them out and haven’t done anything with them yet.
Few-Taste-6298
Plant trailing nasturtium in the blocks?
CitrusBelt
Basil/chives/thyme/savory or strawberries work well for me (and for the record, I live in a pretty hot climate — all do fine in the “holes”, even in 105 deg +, if watered appropriately)
Bush beans could work in them, too. Probably quite a few things, actaully, in a milder climate than I have (e.g. smaller-podded hot peppers)
In any case you can just buy the caps for them & put those on top as desired, if you want a “cleaner” look.
ImagineWorldPeace3
Plant in them… what garden doesn’t need more pollinators?
KilgoreTroutsAnus
Gold leaf
luislasvegas69
You could get cinder block caps to cover the holes OR fill them in with soil and plant flowers 🙂
Status-Investment980
I’d probably fill them with wood chips.
kenedelz
I love the cattle panel set up, smart to put them over raise bed sections so you can still walk under them with how far they’re stretched, I actually like it better than the look I was going for
Curios-in-Cali
We grow flowers and strawberries in ours
Gettingoffonit
I would paint them, fill them with dirt, and plant flowers in them.
MossAreFriends
I’d plant some purslane in them. They’ll spread and drape over them in no time
fruitsalidfingers
Paint 🤷♀️ ….honestly, I totally love what you have going on, and I’m making a mental note of what I want in the future.
Tricinctus01
Replace them with cut stone and they look a lot better.
Own-Dog3454
I have seen people fill the voids with soil and plant herbs and flowers. I think time will help also….as the block weather moss, algae, and just getting dirty will help them blend in.
SquashInternal3854
Add soil and plant draping things: thyme, marjoram, nasturtium, strawberry. Or decorative like flowers, pothos plant, spider plant….
indacouchsixD9
it’s easier to let go of the need for aesthetics, and embrace the beauty of utilitarianism, than it is to make a gilded cinderblock
learn to love the cinderblock because it helps you bring delightful vegetables into your life
I stuccoed mine and then painted them with masonry paint. Capped with Travertine bullnose. It’s not done yet as evidenced by the uncovered gaps, unfilled travertine and the lack of gold fines. All things I’ve been working on with my assistant.
zback636
I don’t think they are ugly.
PraiseTheRiverLord
Fill with dirt, marigolds
Mfstaunc
Come on, you can’t look at those and not want to plant something in them. Even marigolds would be great
FrenchWhoreByDescent
Plant native wildflowers in them!
Ok_Caramel2788
Aubrieta
vestigialcranium
Tile it like a kitchen backsplash
GTAinreallife
Add wooden planks on top, so you have a nice bench around to sit when you work on your plants?
Dependent-Sign-2407
I’m planning on growing moss on mine. I live in an area with a lot of moss, so I’m going to make a slurry and paint it on for a quicker start, and let nature do the rest.
QueenRooibos
My neighbor filled hers with dirt and planted moss in them…. (PNW) and they looked wonderful!
Old_Dingo69
Cap them or plant in them. Simple.
Shenloanne
Erigeron or creeping thyme or nasturtium.
c10bbersaurus
They aren’t ugly to begin with. So, nothing.
Waste-Chemical-8541
If I were you, i’d just cover the top holes with treated wood, or plant something plush and fluffy like creeping thyme or clover
mcas06
I have the same beds and fill the ends with marigolds, nasturtium and basil. I think they look rad 🤷🏻♀️
WillskE
Great looking set up, just wondering what are those metal stakes called?
theshedonstokelane
Grow in them.
kaio-crystal
Fill with soil and plant herbs or strawberries?
AlwaysElise
Cap them with a layer of pavers. I use the 4″x8″x16″ blocks; this caps them to look nice, is more than sturdy enough to sit on, and adds a bit of extra depth to the bed.
It also turns out the blocks and pavers absorb moisture differently, so after a rain storm it turns into uniformly darker grey blocks under bright grey blocks until the soil dries out again and the colors go back to matching light grey.
anabanana100
You have dozens of extra planting holes. So much opportunity! I love all the ideas here. I would do strawberries and bush beans for sure. Herbs like tetra dill, parsley, thyme, oregano, chives. Maybe even: micro tomatoes, party time cucumbers, Thai chilis. And alternate with some flowers for pollinators and extra color: nasturtium, alyssum, dwarf zinnias, etc.
stopthemeyham
I live in an area where moss and micro fern species are abundant. In the terrarium hobby there’s a way to blend moss and yogurt and make a paste you can smear on the bricks. Mine are mostly moss covered with some ferns here and there.
45 Comments
You can paint them
Flat decorative pavers over the cinderblocks
I think if you covered the top of the blocks with some 2x8s (ideally cedar if you can afford it, looks like you’re in the south likely in a rainy area), it would drastically change the feeling of it all. Could even paint the sides of the blocks to match or compliment the darker brown of the cedar and the mulch.
I used to fill mine with dirt and plant zinnias all around, but this year I cleaned them out and haven’t done anything with them yet.
Plant trailing nasturtium in the blocks?
Basil/chives/thyme/savory or strawberries work well for me (and for the record, I live in a pretty hot climate — all do fine in the “holes”, even in 105 deg +, if watered appropriately)
Bush beans could work in them, too. Probably quite a few things, actaully, in a milder climate than I have (e.g. smaller-podded hot peppers)
In any case you can just buy the caps for them & put those on top as desired, if you want a “cleaner” look.
Plant in them… what garden doesn’t need more pollinators?
Gold leaf
You could get cinder block caps to cover the holes OR fill them in with soil and plant flowers 🙂
I’d probably fill them with wood chips.
I love the cattle panel set up, smart to put them over raise bed sections so you can still walk under them with how far they’re stretched, I actually like it better than the look I was going for
We grow flowers and strawberries in ours
I would paint them, fill them with dirt, and plant flowers in them.
I’d plant some purslane in them. They’ll spread and drape over them in no time
Paint 🤷♀️ ….honestly, I totally love what you have going on, and I’m making a mental note of what I want in the future.
Replace them with cut stone and they look a lot better.
I have seen people fill the voids with soil and plant herbs and flowers. I think time will help also….as the block weather moss, algae, and just getting dirty will help them blend in.
Add soil and plant draping things: thyme, marjoram, nasturtium, strawberry. Or decorative like flowers, pothos plant, spider plant….
it’s easier to let go of the need for aesthetics, and embrace the beauty of utilitarianism, than it is to make a gilded cinderblock
learn to love the cinderblock because it helps you bring delightful vegetables into your life
Perfect spot for flowers or herbs!!
Plant marigolds
Yep …I don’t use them
I actually like the look just as it is
Paint them
https://preview.redd.it/biapwnm2khze1.jpeg?width=3472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8a0532199a9ef78b0ef8b4e98b419f0a9c413f98
I stuccoed mine and then painted them with masonry paint. Capped with Travertine bullnose. It’s not done yet as evidenced by the uncovered gaps, unfilled travertine and the lack of gold fines. All things I’ve been working on with my assistant.
I don’t think they are ugly.
Fill with dirt, marigolds
Come on, you can’t look at those and not want to plant something in them. Even marigolds would be great
Plant native wildflowers in them!
Aubrieta
Tile it like a kitchen backsplash
Add wooden planks on top, so you have a nice bench around to sit when you work on your plants?
I’m planning on growing moss on mine. I live in an area with a lot of moss, so I’m going to make a slurry and paint it on for a quicker start, and let nature do the rest.
My neighbor filled hers with dirt and planted moss in them…. (PNW) and they looked wonderful!
Cap them or plant in them. Simple.
Erigeron or creeping thyme or nasturtium.
They aren’t ugly to begin with. So, nothing.
If I were you, i’d just cover the top holes with treated wood, or plant something plush and fluffy like creeping thyme or clover
I have the same beds and fill the ends with marigolds, nasturtium and basil. I think they look rad 🤷🏻♀️
Great looking set up, just wondering what are those metal stakes called?
Grow in them.
Fill with soil and plant herbs or strawberries?
Cap them with a layer of pavers. I use the 4″x8″x16″ blocks; this caps them to look nice, is more than sturdy enough to sit on, and adds a bit of extra depth to the bed.
It also turns out the blocks and pavers absorb moisture differently, so after a rain storm it turns into uniformly darker grey blocks under bright grey blocks until the soil dries out again and the colors go back to matching light grey.
You have dozens of extra planting holes. So much opportunity! I love all the ideas here. I would do strawberries and bush beans for sure. Herbs like tetra dill, parsley, thyme, oregano, chives. Maybe even: micro tomatoes, party time cucumbers, Thai chilis. And alternate with some flowers for pollinators and extra color: nasturtium, alyssum, dwarf zinnias, etc.
I live in an area where moss and micro fern species are abundant. In the terrarium hobby there’s a way to blend moss and yogurt and make a paste you can smear on the bricks. Mine are mostly moss covered with some ferns here and there.