sherwindu wrote in message ...
Hi simyl,
I agree with almost everything you said in this posting, except for the question of what to do
with the leaves. I'm not sure about this, but just mixing uncomposted leaves
into the soil to decompose may remove more nutrients than you are adding. I would
think the best approach is to put her leaves into a compost pile in fall, and use the
resulting composted material the following spring when planting, or use it as a protective layer

That is what I said, see below. Put the leaves on top of the soil.

around the plants to keep in moisture and discourage weeds.

1) Definitely leave the leaves on top, so that they separate the plant
from the soil. Tomatoes also like being mulched, so the leaves do
double duty. I put them in the tomato patch just before I plant, late
May (until then, the tomato patch is clear). You should have leaf
mulch throughout the season. You can also use wood chips as mulch.