containers have drainage issues that are resolved by using potting mix.

Oh, yes; don't add coarse stuff to the bottom. In spite of popular beliefs, it won't improve drainage.

Containers are normally filled with a soil-less potting mix, not soil (dirt). Soil compacts too much in containers and drains poorly. That can lead to all sorts of problems. You can find many discussions here about this and especially over on the Container Gardening forum here.

I think we have mentioned to you on several past posts that the expense of buying the soil-less potting mix needed for your containers, given how deep you made many of them, was going to be quite expensive. On some of those really deep ones I suppose you could use some of this to fill in the bottom and then put the good potting mix on the top 8 inches or so where most of the plant roots will be.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Layering two different root medias is a very bad thing. Fill containers only w/ potting mix.

Normally I agree Jean and I sure wouldn't do it in any normal pots. But in this case, he made so many of his wood containers/planter boxes 3x too deep rather than putting a false bottom in them. Trying to fill a 4-6 foot deep container like some of the pics he has posted with potting mix is cost prohibitive. Even if money is no object.

There is no ideal solution - other than reducing the depth of the containers to a normal size - so using some sort of filler is going to be necessary. I suppose there is always the old plastic pop/water bottles filler or 3 feet of perlite.

Dave

I mix compost with maybe 10-20% perlite or vermiculite, and get way better results than with potting soil.

Tiny baby plants don't like semi-composted wood like you've got there, though. For them I put a 2" layer of potting soil on top. Not too deep, so that by the time they are a few inches tall their roots have reached the compost.

Give it a shot.. It don't have to be rocket science.. I used something similar to your picture and had great success..

Joe

" I didn't ask about any other boxes besides these bucket containers. All my other boxes I filled with this soil and im pretty sure it'll work fine. Im more concerned about these buckets. In the buckets im growing carrot, beet, radish, strawberry, few husky tomato, pea, leek. That picture is NOT of the soil but the small amount of compost I added. I already had a ton of left over soil so I ALREADY filled them with it. This season I will just use it and see what happens, the main issue sounds like drainage is going to be the problem, how can I help this is my situation without changing soils?