Raised bed advice aka stone bottom or not

[theeaterofshades]

Hi All,

Just moved into a new house this fall and am building a new raised bed vegie garden. The last one I build I put a bottom layer (2 inches) of stone in for drainage. My beds will be made out of 2x12's. If I follow this plan again it will be approximately10 inches of soil over 2 inches of stone. Is this a good idea or should I just go all 12 inches soil?

Thanks!

 

[Chuck]

What type of soil is native where your bed will be?

 

[headfullofbees]

10 inches is deep enough for almost anything, but better to put the soil in first, then cover with 2" bark chips as mulch, than use stones, as they will eventually rot down, but in the meantime suppress weeds.