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Cement blocks for beds

Sue Drake is a brainiac!  This:

>[cement blocks have]  the added benefit of nifty little pre-formed
>planting holes! I had excellent luck growing all sorts of things in the
>blocks themselves, from snap beans to herbs to Nasturtiums (as a
>trap-crop for aphids) to species tulips.

is so obvious, but I certainly never thought of it!  I've just had beds
built using PT wood, but Sue's post inspires me with a way to handle a big
flower problem.   I have a long, slightly sloped fenceline where erosion
potential worries my husband.  I *really* want some flowerbeds along this
privacy fence, and he *really* doesn't want to disturb the soil there.

How does this sound?  Based on Sue's suggestion about planting IN the holes
of the blocks, we buy a bunch of blocks, dig out a demi-trench (say the
exact width of a block but only 3 inches or so deep), fill it with
unmortared cement blocks, pop potting soil in the holes, and plant right
there.  Voila--flowers but no erosion.

--Janet
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Janet Wintermute             jwintermute@ids2.idsonline.com
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