My entire farm plan revolves around one thing that has just begun falling from the trees: leaves. Autumn leaves that coat yards and sidewalks in November, and are generally seen as trash by many people, are the key to soil fertility and weed control on my farm.
Yes, my woods are full of leaves, but I don’t retrieve them from my woods. That’s a lot of work. Instead, my crew of teenage boys and I traverse the older, tree-lined, neighborhoods of Blythewood and pick up bags of leaves which we bring back to the farm to spread on the pathways. I understand: if you live on a ½ acre lot and have several mature oak trees, they will drop more leaves than you could possibly manage, and I really appreciate your work of gathering them into bags for me to take back to the farm.
Although I appreciate your leaves, consider saving them for your garden. Pile them deep instead of mulch on beds or pathways or pile them up and allow them to decompose. We put out hundreds of bags of leaves on the pathways in my farm last winter, and now they have almost all vanished into the soil. When I mow down crops, the leaves are further pulverized, and of course our feet on the pathways pack them down also.
They do blow around a bit, so I don’t put them out until the seedlings I plant in the fall are large enough to peek out around the leaves. The rain from a cold winter drizzle is an ideal way to encourage them to stay in place. Ideally, I apply 8-10 inches of leaves per path.
Leaves placed on top of the soil will only improve it. Do not, however, apply freshly-fallen leaves to soil and work them into the soil. Soil organisms will spend their energy digesting the leaves, which will tie up the nitrogen and prevent it from reaching your plants. However, if you apply the leaves this fall and till them into the soil next fall, they will be sufficiently degraded so that they add organic matter and improve the soil.