sheet mulch question

i am establishing a forest garden, and will be implementing the "back to eden" method mixed with synergistic gardening. i be adding about 4-6 inches of wood chips as my thick mulch, and was wondering if it would be better to put composted chicken litter beneath or on top of the mulch... or both? any and all opinions are welcome, thank you for you time and help!

That would depend on the topsoil and climate... If sandy soil, or if coming into rainy season, I'd personally put it on top... If good soil, or going into hot/dry season, then I would put it beneath...

hmm interesting. that makes some sense. i live just south of austin texas, our soil is pretty nice and our seasons are kind of sporadic (whose isnt these days?). im thinking that during my initial bed construction ill put the litter beneath the mulch (it will still be summer when i make contour beds) and then any litter that i add in the following months (winter/spring) will go on top. sounds like a plan to me.

the only thing is i feel like adding a bit on top and bottom would help to break down the wood chips to help quicken the establishment of my beds. maybe ill sprinkle some on top as well as add a bit of urine throughout the months to aid its decomposition:)

Mushrooms. Any mushrooms you find, grind them up and sprinkle them over your wood chips. That's what really breaks down the wood and releases the nutrients for all of the other soil critters and your plants.

DUH! thank you john i cant believe i didnt think of that. thank you so much!

do you think i should just grind different mushies up or should i get some Mycorrhizal Fungi and sprinkle it over my beds? can they be any mushrooms (like store bought and dried) or should they be wild that i find?

thanks again!

should i get some Mycorrhizal Fungi and sprinkle it over my beds?

Well, if you have extra money you don't need, you can do that. But anything that pops up under an oak tree is mycorrhizal. I know you have those in Austin, but with the drought, you may not be seeing many mushrooms. The second best thing in that case is to scrape up some leaf litter/mulch/soil from under an oak tree and use it as inoculate. If there is a mall that overmulches and overwaters their live oaks, that might be your best place to look. The Augusta Mall's hideous landscaping practices keep me well supplied with mycorrhizal fungi.

Very cool, I just raked a ton of leaves from under my two huge live oaks. I might also buy a few pounds from the store and even ask some friends to be on the lookout next time it rains. Thanks a lot. Do you live near here?

I've been to Austin a couple times. Interesting place, but I was just passing through.

As far as store-bought mushrooms, forget the regular white mushrooms and Portabellos, those are cow-s#!% mushrooms, not for wood chips. However, oyster and shiitake (fresh, not the dried ones) do decompose wood chips.

A unique city and culture for sure. I live in San Marcos but I enjoy the people for sure.

Thanks for your help I'm absolutely going to do all the above

Stropharia rugoso-annulata will break down chips, are sun-lovers, develop symbiotic relationships with bacteria and will aid in decomposing chicken manure.

I like the sound of all that. Ill certainly look into that, thank you!