[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

I have decided to use the free and abundant resource of tree leaves this year rather than manure to supplement my beds. The 12 inch beds need about 6 inches added to them. I have collected (thanks, neighbors for your bags of leaves) and mulched about 3000 pounds of oak leaves and other yard detritus, and am spreading thick layers of the mulch on my beds. My idea is that in 3 months of rain and weather, they will break down sufficiently to plant, with extra compost in the holes.

I was inspired to do this by the 1960 edition of the book, The Complete Book of Composting, by J. I. Rodale, which makes the claim that a pound of oak leaves contains twice as much nutrient as a pound of manure.

Question: Are there likely deficiencies I should worry about with pure leaf mulch?

With pure brown leaves that fell from the trees, you would have a temporary reduction of available nitrogen. It would catch up eventually of course, but for a while it would be locked up in the biology of the soil, like any "brown compost material". Add some grass clippings or similar green material though and you'll be fine.