Bare fields or gardens through the winter is certainly a concern, especially if your area is open to unobstructed winds as a field is. But the difference between a smoothed tilled garden soil and that which is bare from removal of all plant materials is minimal, IMO.
While I mulch all my own tree leaves back into the lawn, two of my neighbors collect theirs (shredded by their mowers) and deposit them in my garden for me. Over the decades, my "problem" is an overall
increase in soil volume.
