Hello fellow gardeners!
I am preparing my very first raised bed (to grow vegetables) for its first growing season and am curious as to what you all have found to be a good compost, one that can be bought at a big box store. My long term plan is to have several raised beds, but for now I want to see how I do with the one, so I don't want to buy a whole truckload or anything like that just yet. I am doing the layering method (cardboard, trunks, branches, leaves, top soil), and am at the top soil level and my next step is the compost. Also, what are your thoughts on the bagged (yes, I know bagged is the expensive route) raised bed garden soils in combination with compost?
I sure appreciate any and all answers/tips/tricks/suggestions. Thank you!!

Mushroom or cotton burr compost are the best you can get but in some places hard to find anymore. Black Kow is good and easy to find.

I used raised bed soil last year in a spot and my plants didn't like it but it could have been the brand as well. I would get a bag and see how it looks and if it looks good and healthy get more of that kind. Another method is to mix raised bed soil with garden soil and/or potting soil.

Also if you go to a big box store you can get get ripped bags for half off. I needed alot of soil last year so I got a good 20 bags or so of soil half off that I'm using this year for pots. Saved me quite a bit of money.

pepper23 said: Mushroom or cotton burr compost are the best you can get but in some places hard to find anymore. Black Kow is good and easy to find.

I used raised bed soil last year in a spot and my plants didn't like it but it could have been the brand as well. I would get a bag and see how it looks and if it looks good and healthy get more of that kind. Another method is to mix raised bed soil with garden soil and/or potting soil.

Also if you go to a big box store you can get get ripped bags for half off. I needed alot of soil last year so I got a good 20 bags or so of soil half off that I'm using this year for pots. Saved me quite a bit of money.

Oh! That's a great idea! I usually put those aside and get the intact bags! Thanks for that idea!

I concur with pepper23's viewpoint and think you should give it a shot right now.

Very few people are aware that there is a
jumping worm crises with enormous implications to the farming and gardening communities.

Just Google "Jumping Worm Crises". It is really a bad omen, something unexpected to deal with.

Needless to say, I don't want to bring any of these menacing critters into our garden this Spring.

Do you know of any companies, providers, farms etc that sell baked garden soil that is then jumping worm free.

Please be of help. Much appreciated.

Last month, not sure where you are that you have jumping worms.
@haushinka most bagged 'soils' are just shredded wood mulches/composts. Different woods, different shreds, but no soil except what they degenerate into. I use them, also cardboard, but they will sink as much as 6" a year, so be prepared. We also have Monterrey Mushroom Factory south of you in Madisonville, it has less wood and more straw type composition, but has yet to burn anything I grow unless I went and got a 33 gal trashcan of the raw stuff. Black Kow will have a bit more clay in it, which helps the roots have something to grow into. How deep are your beds? 18" deep? 24" deep or just a foot? It matters when you start watering this summer, the deeper they are, the more water you will need as that bagged 'Raised/Container Gardening bagged stuff' lets water drain FAST. That stuff works much better turned under in your own soil. Another type of additive that I am appreciating is bagged leaf mold compost. It works wonders if you can find any up there in Ennis.