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"These are wet cast blocks," Stocke points out. "Blocks at supply stores are dry cast and they are quite brittle. If you hit one of our walls with a truck, it's not going anywhere, although it might be chipped. Our blocks are much more massive than what you find elsewhere."

Each landscape block form uses 16 cu. ft. of concrete to make a 2-ft. by 2-ft. by 4-ft. block that weighs 2,400 lbs. They have tapered side walls so they can form a curved wall. Design Pro's newest product is a mid-sized landscape block form. It makes four 1-ft. high by 2-ft. wide by 2-ft. deep blocks at once that each weigh 560 lbs. These smaller blocks look better in residential settings and can be lifted with a small skid steer.

By inserting rebar, the form can be filled as little as 6 in. and added to later, a good use for leftover concrete from other jobs. "The only thing anyone is going to see is the front of the block, so if the sides are a little marred or have pour lines, it doesn't matter," notes Stocke.

Jean Feingold is a Gainesville, Fla.-based freelance writer who frequently covers concrete and other construction-related topics.