I've been collecting leaves from all over town and filling the front yard and the new back yard compost heaps. They are so light and fluffy now before the snow weighs them down. Can't beat leaf mold.
I'm gardening in the dry brown of Boulder, Co. My garden helpers include a herd of deer that let me know which plants are wildlife resistant. We get blizzards, thunderstorms, hail, lightening, occasional tornados, drought, floods,& hurricane-force winds here so it's a challenge. Oh, and the soil is rocky.