@drdawg ..........
That is very good advice,
if you have a County Extension Service.
I live in an old gold rush town in the mountains of northern California. Due to extreme budget cuts, we no longer have an Agricultural officer and share one with a neighboring county with a coastal climate which is very, very different than ours.
I don't use the green waste at the dump because too many people treat their "brush" with Round Up to remove ladder fuels for fire safety and then take the stuff to the dump.
I generally mulch with decayed and shredded oak leaves gathered from a friends' property and small wood chips gathered from the utility company's chipping pile.
I've read the rule of thumb is to only put down two inches of mulch because deeper mulching can inhibit oxygen exchange.
I really want to put down a deeper layer of mulch because of our high summer temps ... high 90s to low 100s, to retain as much moisture in the soil as possible from any watering activities, but I don't know if that is wise.
I can glean plenty of pine needles and buy hay, so it's not a matter of not getting mulching materials, but more about how to get through the drought.
I am gardening in glacier debris/subsoil which contains dense rocks with clay and silt. I have excellent drainage. Not too fast and not too slow. (I perk tested every planting area and planting hole.)
I may not have any watering restrictions, but that depends on the water wars between northern California and southern California, but I am planning for the worst.
All advice and suggestions is very welcome.
Smiles,
Lyn
