First, I don’t till (though I suspect most don’t), and I also pile all the fall leaves in the yard on the garden, and I mean it’s piled. It’s about two to three feet of dry leaves that compacts to about a soggy inch by spring. Then, even before I plant, I bag my lawn clippings as mulch. I usually get to August before the lawn clippings are too scarce to keep down any weeds, but by then everything is so overgrown that it’s pretty shaded.
Thanks for noticing!