Fall provides a great opportunity for us to collect a mulch source that is free and is an important element in building our soil.  If at all possible, the soil in a garden should never be left exposed or bare for an extended period of time.  Whether you use cover crops, straw mulch, leaf mulch, shredded newspaper, or landscape fabric (not my first choice); mulching is vital to protecting garden soil.  Our strategy to provide soil protection for late fall and winter is to collect the massive amount of fallen leaves, mulch them, and apply them directly to the garden beds.

[Mulching beds with fall leaves is one of our important soil building strategies]

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