The kids were home from college and one wanted to plant some herbs for his summer cooking, the other wanted to make a succulent garden. Since we are under drought conditions and have to cut our water by 30 percent, something that wouldn't require a lot of watering was necessary. This cinder block block planter worked for both!

Step 1: Materials

Cinder blocks (we used 9 but you can make your planter as big as you want)

Potting soil

Plants - we used herbs and succulents

Galvanized wire mesh

Garden fabric

Two 1/4"x1"x18" galvanized steel strips

Step 2: Figure Out How You Want to Stack the Blocks

Try stacking the block in different ways to see which will work the best for your space to create interest.

Step 3: Wire Mesh and Landscape Fabric

To hold the soil up in a single block cavity rather than fill each cavity deep, wire mesh and landscape fabric were cut and put under the blocks to hold the soil and let water drain. Put the mesh first and then cover with the fabric.

Step 4: Cantilever Block

To create some interest one block was cantilevered. Two strip of metal were cut to length and put under the block to hold the wire mesh and fabric in place.

Step 5: Time to Plant

Now it is time to fill the blocks with soil and plant the plants. Some cinder blocks at the brickyard had larger holes then others, so you may want to do some research before buying your blocks.