g'day judy,

we use mushroom compost basically.

we have pics and description on our pages on how and what we do.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

Adding only compost can create a soil that is too heavy. Also, be careful what kind of compost you use. Often compost has "biosolids" or "sludge" in it. These are actually fancy terms for human waste, which can contain heavy metals. This is not a big concern for flower gardens, but I don't like to use it in my veggie gardens.

I have always treated my raised beds as large pots and mix soils accordingly.

Here is a link that might be useful: Potting Mixes for Certified Organic Production

My raised beds are 75% compost and definitely not "too heavy"! They drain great, but retain a good amount of water, and they produce like mad.

Native soil and compost will do it. A lasagna bed is faster, cheaper, and easier.

Depends what's going in the raised bed? If annuals or vegetables then lots of compost/organic material is probably OK.

But if it's for perennials, shrubs or trees you can overdo it by adding too much organic material and you can end up by causing health problems for your plants. The ideal soil has a maximum of just 5% organic material - doesn't seem like much but that's all that Mother Nature has decreed is really necessary!

All that you need to amend the soil you already have is compost and lots of other organic matter. Adding compost, and other organic matter, to your soil will if its clay seperate the particles and bulk up that soil and if its sand will fill in the very large pore spaces between the soil particles and bulk your soil up.
Generally when I make a new bed I need to remove some of the sand so the level of the new bed is not too high. Since drainage is too good with my sand I do not want raised beds because that would make drainage even worser.