Anytime you till organic matter in to soil you could get the soil bacteria working hard at digesting that organic matter, and in my experience that can result in the organic matter being well digested and no residual left, humus, in the soil. Organic matter put on to soil as a mulch will not get digested that fast and will be there much longer and will not cause the soil bacteria to digest it all that well and that will leave some residual, humus, in your soil. Just how quickly will depend on where your soil, and the Soil food Web, is. A good healthy soil will be different then would be a soil that is not good and healthy. So if you till organic matter into your soil and it is still there several months later that should be an indication that your soil is not as good and healthy as it could be.

I'm in the 'apply the leaves when they are available' category. Since most of the leaves are in the backyard, they are only applied to the backyard beds - which are woodland-type beds so the plants are happy with the leaves (and pine needles). Most of the leaves are from the white ash so are relatively small. They get raked straight into the beds without being chopped first. The other main backyard tree is a red oak. About 30% of those leaves hang on the tree until early March. Those ones, when they fall, collect in the south alley and along the south fence so get vacuumed up, shredded, and dumped on beds in the spring. When/if we lose the ash, there will just be pine needles and oak leaves to deal with. I doubt that will change how we deal with them. In the front garden there is not a significant leaf-fall and we don't bother mulching there. We do leave a lot of the current year's folage to die back naturally and feed the soil. Other than that, the front garden survives just fine without mulching with anything. All the leaves in this picture were added to the beds by the end of October..

Love the idea of using them as a mulch. I'll combine with the straw I usually use and keep a space open for the carrots. Had hoped to enrich the soil last fall but the wooden beds weren't built. Luckily the bottom layer of soil is the original enriched soil. Newer soil is on top. Thank you all for your feedback.

Imagine a conversation The Creator might have with St. Francis on the subject of lawns. The part about leaves is a little farther in so bear with me. God: Hey St. Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there in the Midwest? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect "no maintenance" garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles. St. Francis: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass. God: Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there? St. Francis: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn. God: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy. St. Francis: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it... sometimes twice a week. God: They cut it? Do they then bail it like hay? St. Francis: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags. God: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it? St. Francis: No Sir. Just the opposite. They pay to throw it away. God: Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away? St. Francis: Yes, Sir. God: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work. St. Francis: You are not going to believe this Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it. God: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life. St. Francis: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away. God: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose? St. Francis: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves. God: And where do they get this mulch? St. Francis: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch. God: Enough. I don't want to think about this anymore. Sister Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight? Sister Catherine: "Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a real stupid movie about..... God: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.