Why is everyone skipping over the drainage layer in their raised beds?

I redid my garden boxes in Nashville last spring and pulled out 3 inches of soggy, compacted soil from the bottom because I skimped on gravel and landscape fabric the first time. Every video I watch now shows people just dumping dirt straight in, and then they wonder why their tomatoes rot after a heavy rain. Has anyone found a cheap way to add drainage without ripping the whole bed apart, or do I just accept the redo every couple of seasons?

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spencer_park2634m ago

Man that's brutal. I did the same thing with my beds two years ago here in Ohio and found nothing but mud soup at the bottom. Best cheap fix I found was drilling extra holes in the sides near the base and filling the bottom six inches with crushed river rock instead of gravel. Way cheaper than buying bags of drainage stuff.