You can shred all of your garden waste & get some of the
neighbors waste too. This will get you started. You will need a compost pile & red worms would be a big help too.
Coffee shops should give you the old grounds, produce market will give you rotten food, old bread.

Municipal composting operations typically produce a very good product. I wouldn't be overly concerned about pyrethroid contaminated compost and bees anyway - unless the bees are dive bombing the compost, it will have no impact on these creatures. Spraying the stuff is another matter. And I wouldn't be particularly concerned about pyrethroid contaminated compost in the first place. CA is a highly agricultural state and your local yard waste composting operations are unlikely to have similar agricultural-related products affecting them.

It's a matter of putting things into the proper perspective or context. Of course, your own compost is often the preferred compost, but I wouldn't hesistate to use any local municipal product to supplement organic matter in the soil until you have sufficient quantities of your own to use. Your regional forum may also be a better source for recommendations of local suppliers.

Compost and organic matter are always good additions but anything else should be guided by a good, reliable soil test. Contact the folks at your counties Cornell University Cooperative Extension Service office about having a good, reliable soil test done. Then you can dig in with these simple soil tests to learn more about the soil you do have.
1) Soil test for organic matter. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains� too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell.

5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell CES

There is a great FAQ page at the top of this forum.

I started with the regional forum, but received no replies. I'll keep looking ... and I'll make inquiries around the next time I'm in upstate.

I had checked the FAQ, but didn't see much that spoke to the scale of the garden ... It's a big jump, moving from a 4'x8' plot of our own and assisting with the ~1/4 acre, to being responsible for both. (If it's there, point it out gently.)

Thanks for the strong recommendation of the municipal compost. My caution comes from ignorance more than preference - are pyrethroids systemic, or solely topical?

(I had hoped to plant clover and buckwheat as cover crops. Bees love both, especially buckwheat. If pyrethroids are systemic, then there could be trouble.)

Nice summary of soil testing ... I'll give them a try, when the garden isn't under a couple of feet of snow and ice. I was planning on a comprehensive soil test, after the soil dries out. (As for worms, I haven't seen them very often. It's one of the reasons I think the need for organic matter is dire.)

I've called the local Cornell Extension office. They were very nice, and I learned of the the county yard waste compost facility. (But ... their master gardener didn't seem to know or care about cover crops, and his idea of weed control was Roundup. Roundup is systemic, tho' not highly toxic to bees.)

Thanks for the replies. I'm sure to ask more questions as time goes on.

Pyrethroids are contact insecticides, not systemic. They are derivatives of pyrethrum, a naturally occurring substance in the flowers of certain species of chrysanthemums/tanacetums......oddly enough, the naturally occurring substance seems to have no ill-effect on bees, who visit these flowers just as readily as any other. Obviously, the synthetic derivatives pack a lot more punch.

As to the larger scale of your new garden, there is really no difference from working a 4x8 plot than there is with a 1/4 acre. The same methods and practices will apply, just involving more materials re: amendments and more work on your part :-)

I am in Rome, NY and work down the road from the Cornell Cooperative Extention. They have many master gardeners. They actually came into our office yesterday (Frid) and gave us a seminar/presentation about this stuff. They gave me a hand out about where to pickup compost and amts, ect. for Utica/Rome area. I was very hesitant about getting the city compost like you are. She said it was safe to use, so I will feel better about using it. She said she uses it in her own gardens and haven't had any problems. You can get it by the truck load or by bags.

My plan is to get the compost and mix it with 2 types of manure. I may even add a little peat moss to the mix. I am doing a small 4x4 Square foot garden this year to see how it works out. (i found a site that helps with the amts of plants to use per square foot, ect.. EXCITED! LOL)

In the past I just bought potting mix's which gets expensive.