i'd use it anything you add is going to break down and help teh medium, remember to mulch with green type mulches ie.,. spoilt luceren hay or the like, these add nutrients as they break down and keep root runs cool/warm and moisture contained as well as supress weeds growth. we tuck all our kitchen scraps under our mulch as well asn let the worms work it into teh soil right where we want it.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

"Topsoil" is simply the top 4 to 6 inches of soil that supposedly contains organic matter, so what you really want is soil to which you can add organic matter and make your own "topsoil". If what is sold as "Topsoil" in your area gets a premium price there is no good reason to buy that.
You can mix that container mix into whatever soil you buy for that raised bed, many of us have put our potting soils into the compost over the years. It can take 3 to 5 years for the Soil Food Web to establish in soils that have been deprived of organic matter, so adding more organic matter will not compound any problems or rake longer to make that soil into a good, healthy soil because organic matter is what you need to make a good, healthy soil.

Got a new dictionary did ya kimm?

:-)

Lloyd

Here we go again!! Filling raised beds very often requires importing some sort of soil mix.......most of us don't have piles of soil sitting around that we can use to make our own "topsoil" (even if that were possible)! So ignore comments that purchasing soil is a waste of time and/or money - often it is the most efficient and economical way to accomplish this task.

A "topsoil/compost mix" sounds like a decent start.....this is sometimes referred to as a garden planting mix (or 3- or 5-way mix, depending on ingredients) and typically will contain sufficient organic matter to get things started well. Adding used container mix to the raised beds will not hurt.

Thanks for the responses guys. Just want to clarify that I had researched the topic of raised bed/soil on the forums before and thats why I decided to go ahead with the soil compost mix. I will be adding OM to this so with time the fertility will improve.
My main concern was with the timing, since it is close to spring and didn't know if there is enough time for the things to settle down. I have read about pine/bark tying up nitrogen if used fresh but hopefully a year or so of use should take care of that.
On a related note, since I am not sure about the fertility of the soil delivered ( the compost was probably mixed last season), should I top dress an inch or so of compost while planting or should I wait and watch the plants for nutritional deficiences and then add accordingly?