Quote Originally Posted by jimzuk View Post
Thanks for sharing your methods. I have never covered my garlic and it has always made it through the winter. I do have a few leaves on the ground so I will use them to cover the bed and see if it helps
The leaves serve a couple of purposes.
First of course they provide insulation, a blanket of sorts. Which in the case of raised beds with floors off the ground is pretty much a requirement.
Second, as the leaves disintegrate, they provide fiber and some nutrients to the growing medium.

Cheers,
Nog