Mulch.

Every fall I spend 6 weeks or so raking leaves.  I pile them in the compost bins and when I run out of room I just pile them in the woods.

It's hard to tell from the picture, but that pile is probably 3' high and 10' in diameter.

I can't believe what I did next.  I got a wheel barrow load of leaves, and spread them out in my front yard.  I found it hugely ironic that I would do this after having spent so many hours cleaning them up. 

So why did I do this?  I needed mulch for my raised beds.  The grass was tall and needed to be mowed.  I figured I'd bag the clippings and use them as mulch and that leaves would make a nice addition.

So I mowed the lawn, bagged the clippings (with the leaves) and dumped them into my wheel barrow. 

This newly created mulch sat in my wheel barrow for two days.  That wasn't my plan, but the rain kept me inside.  When I finally got a chance, I put the mulch on the raised beds.  

Here it is under the cucumbers.

I put a bulk of the mulch under the tomatoes.

I mulched down the center of this bed because that's where my most recent transplants are.

I didn't have enough to cover every bed.  I'll have to bag more the next time I mow.