Little story from when I was a child. I went to an orchard, collected a lot of apples, then crawled back through the gap that I had come through, only to then see a pair of boots......I looked up and up to then see it was the owner. I think the look on my face was enough for him as he burst out laughing and allowed me to keep the apples.
Rake the leaves off your garden in Autumn/Fall, or just let nature takes it course by blowing them away eventually.