When to mulch? After your soil temps 6" down reach 70-75 degrees. Sooner keeps the soil too cool for many plants. Every gardener should own at least one soil thermometer. Inexpensive and tells you when to plant, when to feed, when to mulch and when NOT to mulch. :)

Dave

Thanks Dave! You always post such valuable information, I really appreciate it. I've been meaning to buy a soil thermometer and now it's at the top of my list of purchases for the week!

Excellent point Dave. I learned something new today.thanks

I remove most of my mulches in springtime. One to let the soil warm up and and two to keep the slug population in check. Sometime in June I'll start mulching again.

What Davis says corresponds to about June 15 in MI, and probably in MA also. But it is important only for tomatoes and other summer vegetables. It is work to mulch in June because most plants are no longer seedlings but are small and you have to apply the mulch in small batches.

Cool season crops, cabbage, parsley and celery for example, can be mulched early, and the seedlings planted through the mulch. You may also consider mulching early then cover with clear plastic. The plastic and the mulch typically offset each other or close to it. You can also bury fresh manure under cover, which heats the soil, this is a standard procedure for melons in the North.

Then there are the slugs. if you have them, June 15 for everything, after the bare soil has received generous doses of sluggo in May.

Ugh, slugs, thanks for reminding me. Another good reason to hold off on mulching. I always have a nice crop of those. Someone on the site recommended sluggo to me last year. That stuff is awesome! That is now added to my list of things to purchase this week!