You might try contacting Gene Joyner, former extenion agent for PBC, he has been bringing clean mulch into his property (Unbelieveable Acres) for many years. I'd bet he could give you some spources to look into.

Harry

This is the (almost) free mulch situation in Broward at least. Rather than email (they ain't into email) you find a tree trimming crew near you that is flailing away, find the bossman and try to strike a deal with him. They might make you a steady customer. Keep you eyes peeled and don't be shy. Have others look out for you too.

A friend has a regular guy with a small operation practically begging to dump free mulch at his place. To avoid dump fees and a trip to the dump. He even once called me but I couldn't accommodate the free mulch at that time. Florida is amazing. The heat and water melts down tree mulch so fast into wormy black gold.

(tell them no shredded palm fronds the needles are awful)

Yep, zands is right. Just drive around and look for a trimmer chopping up a tree and ask for mulch. I usually will offer the driver $40 or $50 for a full load, which can be in excess of 15 to 20 cubic yards and would cost me several hundred dollars if I had to buy it.

The free mulch is a mixture of leaves and branches and turns to black compost within a year. I've added several hundred cubic yards of mulch to my backyard and the difference is phenomenal. I now have black soil with millions of earth worms and zillions of millipedes. You want to lay it down about 10 to 12 inches thick; it rapidly compacts and decomposes.

And yah - no palm fronds. The machine can't really shred those.

Jeff

I had a load of tree chipped mulch delivered that was from oak, and pine. It was $100 but well worth it.

One truckload laid down 5" of mulch in my entire backyard. After a few months it has laid down and I actually need another load now.

One word of caution if you get this stuff, do it during a rainy season. I had mine delivered in the beginning of our dry spell last spring and I watered it every couple of days worrying about it being a fire hazard. If someone threw a lit cigarette butt in my yard it would have been WHOOSH!!! house consumed in flames!

Some more thoughts popped up for you to consider.

Hardwood, OAK and pine have no thorns! If you buy from a tree trimmer make him aware that you will walk on this stuff and do NOT want any thorns!

My back yard is 60'x31' and the side is 18'x50' and 20 yards "looked" like a lot but I could have used more. It's a LOT of work bringing it back with a wheelbarrow enlist the help of friends or a day laborer if you can. I did and was not sorry in the least

Here's a link to pics of my yard with and without the mulch down

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gnappi2011/

Thanks guys!