When I got into gardening I learned to leave some leaves around through the winter. The good bugs in your yard need a safe place to hibernate, and it's really i

When I got into gardening I learned to leave some leaves around through the winter. The good bugs in your yard need a safe place to hibernate, and it's really important to provide them small microbiomes in so they'll be there to keep things healthy in the spring. So don't clean your garden/yard too much in the fall, and definitely not after the temps get cold enough that bugs will be hibernating in those leaves. Also don't clean up in the spring till nightly temperatures are consistently about like 50° F. It's okay to clean up before last harvest and get rid of some stuff, but please try to keep some piles of leaves/dead plants around for the little critters. Of course don't keep leaves around of plants that are prone to disease, get fruit tree leaves out of your yard as soon as possible, for example.