It always surprises me too, how fast compost, mulch, etc. gets "eaten up" by the soil, especially if it's poorish soil to begin with. I've been dumping tons of compost and mulch on the beds in the Storybook Garden, which is my newest garden area and at the top of the hill. The soil up there is heavy sticky clay for the most part and it just seems to suck in all that organic stuff.
