Although I live in a very different climate, I use a system similar to Char's. In early spring, we put down, on average, 6"-8" of a composted horse manure/ shavings mixture (the grape area gets 12") followed by 3-4" of shredded tree limbs and leaves. Because of the earthworms and bio-active soil, this layer only lasts about 2 - 2.5 months before bare soil starts peeking through so we add an additional 4"-6" of the manure/shavings mix followed by a few more inches of shredded tree clippings every couple of months. Our last mulch layer is typically applied in November when the soil starts to cool down for the winter. Although we started out with heavy, adobe clay, we now have rich loam teeming with earth worms.
Oh! and welcome to ATP!!!
