shredded leaves directly ontop of my garden

[Bird1961]

I have an abundant supply of leaves so when my compost bin filled I began shredding them and dumping them directly on the garden. I worry that now I need a nitrogen source, especially before it starts getting warm. I have three plots, about 20' X 10' ea. I will need lots of coffee grounds right? Are there other sources I could use. I know of a stable nearby that will give me unlimited amounts of horse manure.

[soil]

what you should have done imo is put all the sheds in a pile as well, this way over time they will become leaf mold compost. EXCELLENT stuff for mulching. imo one of if not the best mulches. this way when you add it to the topsoil there is no nitrogen drawback.

if the horse manure is aged and not full of antibiotics, hormones and all that junk I would go for it. other than that you could get a bag of alfalfa pellets and make some alfalfa tea. its real nitrogen rich, cheap and full of other minerals.

[rainbowgardener]

grass clippings

[2cents]

Bird,
I would leave the leaves.
push them away a little for your row, furrow, or transplant and leave the leave right in place as a mulch ground cover.
It has had no negative affect on my garden.
I've been doing it that way for years.
I've got a 10 x 20 raised garden spot that received 2 feet of ground leaves in the fall. I will plant bean seeds right under the those leaves in a month. The shoots will come right through them and be picking beans in 3+ months.
Wish I had more leaves right now.

[farmerlon]

...
I would leave the leaves.
push them away a little for your row, furrow, or transplant and leave the leave right in place as a mulch ground cover.
It has had no negative affect on my garden. ....

That's good advice.
Since you haven't "incorporated" the leaves into the soil, they should not "tie up" the nitrogen that your plants will need in the root zone.
Simply rake the leaves away from the spots where you need to plant, and put them in another spot where you need the mulch, or add them to your compost pile as it shrinks.

[toxcrusadr]

Yep, nothing wrong with using high carbon material as a mulch. I've found that piling stuff on the garden in fall makes my clay a lot lighter and fluffier in the spring because the worms are in there through the winter (or at least part of it).