@Dirtmechanic - you remind me of someone I knew on CompuServe's Gardening forum a long time ago. I shredded leaves for my compost pile and tried to rush that process and she really questioned why. LOL. Yeah I don't have a lot of space so I needed to get compost finished faster than not. She also suggested that the whole leaves would help maintain oxygen. I totally agree with your philosophy and am trying to adapt to what nature does for the most part. Next year I doubt that I'll add leaves to the top of the raised beds. I might have enough compost to add a layer. I might put a layer of whole leaves on top to insulate, but raised beds have side and there's no real protection from the cold on the sides. :(
@stone I think you're right. The top layer of leaves were frozen, with a layer of unfrozen below, but then the ground appeared to be frozen below that. Maybe the soil got cold from the sides of the bed since the beds are raised and the sides didn't have any protection.
We have mostly oak leaves in our subdivision but not all. For the last several years I have shredded leaves around the oak trees. I get neighbors' leaves and shred them. Some maple, other varieties as well but mostly oak. I put a 4-5" layer around the oaks. Rain flattens the shredded leaves but not into a mat. The shredded leaves are always broken down by mid summer. I'll have to take pictures to document the stages. The oaks love the loam.
