You do mean cinder blocks and not cement (concrete) blocks right?
Cinder blocks are less porous than cement blocks but they are hard to find here

There was a recent thread on grow bins which are really just plastic storage bins full of potting soil with a tube in them to fill up a water reservoir in the bottom.

I don't get so fancy.
I sometimes use 5 gallon plastic pails as planters. The real trick is to put drainage holes in the sides about two or three inches up from the bottom. It lets you water them well but if over watered it just drains out. That prevents root rot or damping off happening to your plants. It also lets some water stay in the bottom of the soil to act as insurance against drying out if you miss watering it for a day or two.

I say 5 gallon but the pails that are half that height, the 3.5 gallon ones work well for me too.
I just like the 5 gallon ones because I don't need to water them as much.