Thanks for the leaf advice. And please add me to the gardening ping list.
Will do.
If you have neighbors who collect their leaves and put them in plastic bags , round up a few of them for mulch.
They will be partially muched by springtime with what little moisture there is in the bags, and then placed on the surface of your garden.
The freeze ,..thaw, freeze , thaw ,.. etc., etc. helps to break the leaves down and encourage the microbes within the bags to help break them down.
Also for those with raised beds those black bags filled with leaves place alongside the raised bed will help insulate the bed for a couple of additional weeks.
In the days of my youth ,farmers would collect bags of leaves and then place them against the house foundation for additional insulation , preventing water pipe freezes.