I didn't know this was a thing but I did something like this last year.
Last winter I gathered a bunch of leaves from the tree in the front yard and covered up all the garden bed with leaves. I was hoping the leaf layer would protect the soil surface from the cold and snow during the winter. Since the leaves are so thin, they broke down really quickly in the spring time when it started to warm up.
I plan on doing the same this year as well.
I also have a spot in my garden I just add compost waste. It's just a pile of food scraps and trimmings from my garden. I'm too lazy for any other composting options. I'll just spread that area around the rest of the garden next spring.