I have two short raised beds made of cinder blocks (8 in. and 16 in. tall) that isn't finished yet. I was wondering if it's okay to fill the voids of the blocks with excess soil from my yard? I live in a country where it never goes below freezing so I don't need to worry about moisture freezing and cracking the block.
I've heard that soil inside a block can cause a moisture issue. But, it's being used as a retaining wall so it will have moist soil in contact with one face of the block always. What is the difference between this and having the moisture inside the block?
Will filling them with soil causes the blocks to degrade faster? Is there even any structural benefit in filling with soil?
Can Cinder Blocks Be Filled with Soil?
brickconcrete-blockretaining-wallwalls
Related Topic
- How to reinforce this concrete wall that wasn’t properly drained and is starting to lean 3/4″ from top
- Can solid offset blocks be used to build a retaining wall in excess of 5′
- Walls – Retaining wall on a 2-way slope under an existing block wall
- Walls – Using tarpaulin to stop soil absorbing to rain, trying to prevent foundation damage
- Retaining Wall – Cost-Effective Building Next to Fence
- Concrete – Should I build a segmental retaining wall on top of a grade beam with piles
Best Answer
Many of the blocks used for retaing walls are filled with dirt so I don’t see an issue. In fact, some are designed to taper back and provide planting space.
And my neighbor has just put one up which still has lots of moisture in it with temperatures well below freezing... nothing cracked yet...