Yes, just pine bark and sand. It's the same mixture Fred (spunky1) uses in his beds; got the idea of the beds and bark/sand from him. My regular garden beds are in ground, but in the new ones I add pine bark to the beds and till in or the old beds I started adding pine bark to the hole when I plant. If you buy plants from nurseries that's usually what is in their pots, pine bark, sand, slow release fertilizer. I have noticed that the big box store plants (small containers or trays) are more peat moss though.
Anyway, I add slow release fertilizer (osmocote 18-6-12), chicken litter (processed), alfalfa pellets, and a little bit of Epsom salt to the hole when I plant. Then once I am done planting I will top dress with more of each. It will dry out more quickly so it will be watered daily. That's why I wanted to use the drip lines. Tree roots is why Fred started using raised beds.
I would suggest soaker hoses or the flexible tubing with the misting sprayers for in ground beds if they are small beds. It's easy to twist and turn around plants and just use the landscape fabric anchors to keep them in place.
