Step two for rich soil: incorporate organic matter.
That layer of dried leaves is great because it not only offers protection as mulch, it gradually degrades into a mess of nutrients for a new generation of plants to soak up.
Another excellent approach, and one that I’ve got underway, is composting your kitchen and yard scraps. All that plant material is full of carbon, nitrogen, moisture, and micronutrients; why have it hauled off as waste when you can facilitate its decomposition and return it directly to the earth?