Sounds like you might want to try "lasagna gardening". Just layer newspaper, and any yard debris you might have around. Chopped leaves would be perfect. If you do a search, I'm sure you can find more info on lasagna gardening, and save yourself from having to do a lot of digging.
Hope this helps!
Tracey

As Tracey said, making a lasagna bed will simplify your life. Thick layers of newspaper or think cardboard, soaked, and a lot of organic matter piled on top will smother out grass and weeds. You can use anything you get for free organic matter- grass clippings, leaves, straw, wood chips coffee grounds, etc. Basically it's making compost in place and leaves you with wonderful soil. And fall is my favorite time to start.

Be sure to water each layer as you build the pile.

Also see "sheet composting" and "interbay mulch".

Karen

I do the lasagna gardening too. If you get a newspaper or can get the cardboard slip sheets like they use between layers of stuff on pallets at membership stores like Sams or cost co. If you lay that down on the grass/weeds then cover up with layers of whatever you have on hand. The more diverse and rich the layers, the better the garden will probably be in the spring. As to cover crops. A bag of seed should be pretty cheap. Now with cover crops, you either wind up having to till them in several times to kill them off, or carefully choose a cover crop that will be easier to kill. I personally don't like digging so I try and choose cover crops that will winter kill, or ones that I can simply cut or mow after they bloom but before seeds can mature which will stop certain plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: www.TCLynx.com

What you need to know is what is your soils pH and the nutrient blance and the best way to find that out is to contact you local office of the Cornell USDA Cooperative Extension Service about having a good, reliable soil test done. Then dig in with these simple soil tests,
1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell.

5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.
to see what more your soil needs to get to that good, healhty condition that will grow strong and healthy plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell CES

Personally, I never thought cover cropping was such a good idea for people who weren't planning to plow or till anyway. What was easier for me, and what might work for you there in Bkln is find some cardboard boxes and lay them down on the soil. Dump what compost you have, the gutter muck and any used coffee grounds you can scavenge from your corner S'bucks on top of the cardboard. Wait until spring. Turn the soil over. Plant.

If you can shred the leaves, that will help them rot quicker and make them stay put better. A lawnmower is good for shredding. If you haven't got a lawnmower, you might be able to pick up an electric shredder on craigslist. They're worth having if all you're shredding is leaves and bark.

I never heard anything bad about London plane tree bark.

If you decide to kill off the ivy, you're going to have a tough job on your hands. Cardboard can help with that, but might not do the job completely. Spray brushkiller might be needed.

One other thought:

If you can make a large pile of leaves somewhere in the corner, you will be surprised and delighted at how quickly the bottom layers rot.

Thanks, everybody. I have a follow-up question. What happens to the newspaper/cardboard over the winter? Does it break down or stay in place? If it does not break down, am I supposed to plant on top of it or remove it before spring planting?

The cardboard/newspaper will decompose. Plant right though it, even if it's only partially finished.
Did you know about Starbucks? They give out all their used coffee grounds.

Actually what happens to your cardboard or newspaper depends on many things, mostly how well you manage to maintain your soil temperature. Put enough material on top of the cardboard or newspaper to keep the soils temperature in a range the soil bacteria will work means they will, but a thin mulch that allows the soils temperature to drop almost as fast as the ambient air temepratures means they will stop working when it is too cold. It can also depend on when you plunk that down, later in the year, after the soils temperature has cooled down means the bacteria will not be as active and it will take longer for the bacteria to work.

Here in the north I place all of my compost right on top of the garden and then cover it with at least 2' of leaves to compress and winter over. Come spring the leaves are dragged off and planting begins. The soil is perfect, no tilling. The leaves are kept in a pile and the redworms reduce it to a beautiful mold by the end of summer. That goes on the garden in the fall too. They also make browns available in the green summer months. Really easy system.

oh yes, do these people ever know about starbucks.
it seems that in this forum starbucks is a major gardening advocate. I'd have to agree, it's great to always have lots of nitrogen organic matter comin in, cuz sometimes you can't get much from home, especially when you hate coffee like me.

but yeah, it's actually a corporate program called grounds for your garden, your helping them save on trash costs and they help you back with ucgs.