Short answer, yes. There as many soil or grow recipes as there are opinions in the world. For instance, by deck is covered in planters for our deck vegggies. Every type of tomatoe is in "my special blend". Its a local organic (who knows) potting soil mixed with perlite and coco. My outdoor watering is feast or famine so it helps me keep my maters alive when I get off the rails.
Folks have grown in pea gravel just as well as FFOF over the years. The big takeaway is to hhave a reason for each componenet you're growing in, and make sure your growing plan/technique is developed for your medium. You'll be fine man, you got this.