Well it looks as if most of our oak leaves have dropped their leaves now. So our annual chore of raking or blowing the leaves into big piles and then distibuting them around will begin very shortly.
We use our oak leaves in a couple of ways. The first is as a leaf mulch about 2 – 3 thinches thick around some of our plants. The second way is that we incorporate them into our compost piles. The oak leaves are a great source of nutrients in the compost pile (leaf mold). As a mulch they not only insulate around the plants, but their little pointy edges also deter the snails. They will also help in weed suppression and slowly over time break down and give their nutrients back to the soil.
Remember when using mulch, not to put the mulch right up against the base of the plant. Also there are lots of different types of mulch that can be used, such as shredded hard wood mulches, cotton burrs, and even pea gravel. If you do some gardening by direct sowing seeds, I wait to mulch those areas. Also unless you are giving your soil a rest and not planting anything in it for at least 6 months, don’t till the oak leaves under and into the soil. When they start decomposing like this, they will tie up nutrients rather than releasing them.
Let us know what you use as a mulch.