You're welcome Walter. You can also save all of the leaves that don't make it as leaf mulch and put them in a bin to decompose into compost (soil). This can be added to your garden in low nutrient areas or added to the soil when you put in a new plant. I plan on writing a post regarding leaf composting soon.

Stephen,
Thanks, you're doing the right thing. I have found that un-mulched leaves can dry out during the winter making them susceptible to the wind that can blow them around. When you mulch them they can from a tighter mass that can hold together a bit better than loose leaves while they are being broken down.

So you're advocating the sale and use of chemicals. Do you have a vested interest in the fertilizer/chemical/pesticide industry? Perhaps a pesticide, fertilizer, or lawn care company? The indiscriminate use of commercial chemicals and fertilizers without soil testing done by professional labs/co-operative prior to application to verify the specific type and amount of soil nutrient depletion is wasteful and can cause environmental problems. One of the largest problems that we have from residential areas is the the runoff of excessive chemicals/fertilizers that are used on lawns during rain storms. They in turn will enter into the storm water sewer systems and then into our streams and oceans creating polluted environments and can also enter into our clean water drinking systems. One of the best kept secrets of the chemical and fertilizer industries is that we really do not need most if not all of the chemicals in our ornamental gardens and especially in an environmentally sensitive habitat or wildlife habitat. The use of leaf mulch, leaf mold, compost, and compost tea is not only healthy in our society but are the ingredients and nutrients that the World's environments have used for the millions of years that plant life has existed on the Earth.

- be cautious of the word "organic" used on fertilizers. The term has a very loose meaning. It really only means that a chemical such as N or nitrogen is in its basic elemental form no matter how it is derived.

Jim,
Thanks for the comment. Earlier this year on 2/14/12 I posted an article on vermicomposting. http://collingswood.patch.com/blog_posts/vermicomposting
They're also good to just add directly to your gardens to amend the soil.

an inexpensive source to an in home vermicomposting system can be found on amazon, I typed in "worm farm." From what I have seen, Worm Factory makes a pretty decent product. (I have nothing to do with them) for about $140.00 you can get a whole system with worms. They are odorless when done properly and can produce quite a lot of good compost.

That's called the Gusanito system which I bought online 5 years ago .. not too much difference in the price - I get enough castings for a 1600 sq ft garden counting a handful for each (minumum 6" spaced) plant that goes into the ground .. for lettuce and radishes etc, I make vermicompost tea for the planting - nice column Stephen

Thanks Jim, for other info take a look at my website http://ferrethollowgardens.com

A mix of different leaves is good. That is what I prefer. Each type of leaf has a different chemical composition that adds back the different elements that are needed for a healthy soil. What you are doing if feeding the soil and its denizens who are then breaking down the compounds making them available to be absorbed by the plant roots.

the problem with grass clippings all summer is that there might be too much buildup of the grass clippings. Doing it occasionally should be fine. You just don't want to "drown" the grass that is growing. It is also a high concentration of nitrogen in the green of the grass. Different locations will break down faster that other area due to the cultural conditions of that area, ie full sun vs shade, dry vs wet, healthy micro fungi, bacteria, mold, etc of the soil that break down the materials. If you use chemicals on the lawn they tend to kill off the beneficial organisms.
If you mow the leaves into the grass in the fall while it is dormant the leaves should mostly break down over the winter. The new growth in the spring should also grow through the remaining leaves (mulched small) remaining that will "fertilize" the soil (lawn) for you as it breaks down.