I'm still wondering why you have the leaves and grass clippings accumulating in the compost pile in first place. If you don't have a garden or some applications to use the compost, why not mulch it back into the yard for a much healthier yard (including your trees)? I never bag my grass and only very rarely rake up any leaves. Even in the fall, a mulching mower will make leaves disappear and add to your soil. I mulch around my trees with pine needles or shredded hardwood mulch. The things I would consider when mulching around trees are: 1. Mulch wide, not deep. You don't want to smother the tree's roots 2. Keep the mulch away from the trunk. Especially avoid mulch volcano situations. 3. Use something organic that will add to your soil as it breaks down. 4. Use something that will last a while (but not forever). Frequently having to remulch is not good for you or your tree. 5. Use something that matches your yard or something you like the looks of. 6. Consider maintenance. You probably want to avoid a mulch that needs to be frequently cleaned out or reapplied to look good. Here is a link that might be useful: Benefits of Mulch

To the notion that wood chip mulch "ties up" nitrogen in soil, I provide the following from Linda Chalker-Scott of Washington State University (full reference linked below) Concern: Wood chip mulches will tie up nitrogen and cause deficiencies in plants. Evidence: Actually, many studies have demonstrated that woody mulch materials increase nutrient levels in soils and/or associated plant foliage. My hypothesis is that a zone of nitrogen deficiency exists at the mulch/soil interface, inhibiting weed seed germination while having no influence upon established plant roots below the soil surface. For this reason, it is inadvisable to use high C:N mulches in annual beds or vegetable gardens where the plants of interest do not have deep, extensive root systems. As I noted, if incorporated into the soil before they have decomposed, wood chips can divert soil N sources away from plants. That can be dealt with via supplemental N additions along with any un-decomposed wood chips being incorporated into the soil. When applied as a mulch there is absolutely no adverse effect on soil N. Building soil OM in a permanent planting bed via topdressing with either mulch or compost does take time. My experience in the clay soils in TX is that the use of supplemented wood mulch or compost as a mulch will have comparable effects in approximately the same amount of time. Wood chip mulch of very high quality, aged at least 6 months, is far more readily available and cheaper than comparable amounts of compost, which if purchased is often of very questionable quality. About the only alternative to topdressing and the time it takes is to remove the plants, amend the soil, then replant. Here is a link that might be useful: Chalker-Scott on Wood Chip Mulch This post was edited by TXEB on Sat, Sep 7, 13 at 9:49

Hey Phil, I don't have much wisdom to add to what the others have said, as I'm rather inexperienced at this too - only my second year growing heirlooms. But, I know where you are coming from because, I too, tend to go big when I get into something like this. Not sure I went quite as over the top with preparing, researching, planning, thinking and pruning, but I was close. One thing I will share is, I've found sometimes doing less is more. For example, I pruned aggressively last year, really buying into the idea that any branch not flowering was wasting the plant's energy and needed to go. My plants suffered from this treatment and produced only a few fruits. This year, I hardly pruned at all and they are doing much better in terms of both fruit production, size and how robust they are. Not to open up the debate about pruning here - my point is that you seem to have some really healthy looking plants (nice chard too!). I'd suggest not sweating the nitrogen level. Don't make a big "to do" and dig up the soil to sample and potentially treat. Let nature take it's course and be happy with how well you have done - I agree with the others that you put a lot of thought and work into your garden and I believe it will pay off. Gardening is trying to teach me patience. For me, it's tempting to try and do something all the time to hasten/enhance the harvest but I think (within reason) sometimes letting alone is the best thing one can do. Good luck! P.S. I too flick flowering stems. Not sure it helps with pollination/fruit setting, but it's magical when you see the little golden dust emerge.

I know this is an old thread, but it set me on a path of sheet mulching after exhausting most avenues (including chemicals). I have used two layers of heavy duty cardboard under 3" to 4" of cedar mulch with great success. Any gap or crack the Bermuda will get through. So really, the cardboard is 4 layers thick in places. This is heavy duty cardboard that I purchased at big box store and it is labeled as such. Also I collected from packages and any place I could get my hands on it. Thin cardboard and paper will not work. Raised beds have been used to grow vegetable crops year round (tunnels in the winter). There are spots here and there where it comes up. I use a garden fork to get down to the roots, remove as much as I can and then layer back some more cardboard/mulch. Most of the grass we do fight is on the borders. The places in the middle of what was the lawn is always on the top of mulch and comes up easily. Portions of this cardboard/mulch has been converted to meadow by direct sowing on the mulch and no Bermuda has appeared. This was done 4 years after that area was covered (just when we got around to doing it). No chemical has ever been used (except when it WAS a lawn). The back yard is 75' x 35' and was half common Bermuda and the other section was Tiff Eagle mixed with Princess 77. The Tiff and Princess 77 were much easier to deal with and no sign of them. The common Bermuda is just a weed at this point. We have started our front yard in the same manner and look forward to a meadow with micro clover path/borders. We hardly see June bugs (sorry, do not know the scientific name of them) due to far less white grubs. Skunks, which like the grubs, are no longer digging up the yard. Earthworms are in abundance (they like the cardboard). We have cut our water bill to 1/3 of what it was. We no longer need to apply all the chemicals to keep the lawn green and pristine. I still like a good swath of turf, but I will leave that to the golf courses and sporting fields (time and money). Long post of rambling, but my two cents. I know it is somewhat costly to do this, but it was still cheaper than the water bill for a summer and the chemical additions. Far cheaper.