Landscape material is great. What I was actually referring to is maybe a bit of sand or gravel so if you have innundating rains they don't become so saturated that they become like bathtubs holding water. With raised beds, watering is tricky. Living in the south, when the summer is so dang hot, you will have to water most every day without rain. They will dry out much faster than an inground garden in the dreadful heat we get about this time of year..

Another though, not sure if I mentioned this or not, I orgered two thousand red worms and put in my beds. They help keep the soil from compacting.