Winter Mulch

With fall/winter approaching does a "real" gardener add mulch again? If I did straw in a few weeks would it be pretty decomposed by April/May? Or what do you suggest?

I live in Iowa--we have pretty nasty winters with weeks below zero, snow & high winds. Mulching after the first hard frost is a must for me. I use grass clippings & chopped leaves for most of my beds.... New layer of cypress mulch for the more formal bed at the front of the house.

Despite the nasty weather , we tend to get a thaw or two in February, then back into the deep freeze. Unmulched plants emerge from the ground too soon & get frozen off

Wan, when you say cypress do you mean wood chips?

We found that straw does not decompose as rapidly as hoped over the winter unless we till it in which is impossible in our perennial beds. We cut down most plants (except those that give food to birds, etc) and apply 3-4 inches of very well rotted horse manure. Local stables will usually give it away for free if you pick it up yourself.

If you do use straw you can rake it off in spring as the plants are emerging. This will help the ground warm up faster too. Then you can re-apply it as mulch when the ground is warm or add it to your compost pile. One of the nice things about straw as a mulch is it doesn't compact as much as things like chopped leaves and is less likely to contribute to crown rot.
Whatever you choose to use, wait until the ground is frozen before applying it. If you apply it now it will take the ground longer to freeze and that can be hard on the perennials.

Great advice NoH2O !

It sounds like we all use similar methods in cold winter climes. Another reason for waiting til hard freeze to mulch is that unfrozen soil invites vermin into your beds to munch on the roots of your plant all winter...voles here.

If using straw, be sure to get straw, not hay, as hay has lots of seeds that will sprout in your bed come spring. We, too, add the used straw to our compost over the summer, but a pile of freshly raked straw, warm from the spring sun is much appreciated by our doglets, as well!

Once again I ask a simple question and I get thorough answers and explanations! Thank you one and all. I had no idea that I was to wait for frozen ground. But since I am in the pacific northwest and we sometimes have such mild winters when should I apply mulch? And yes, it is straw not hay I am talking about. Bark dust would be ok too?

I forgot about where you live - you aren't likely to get much in the way of frozen ground. I think the constant winter rain would be more of a concern. In that case straw or pine needles (if you can find them) are nice because they won't mat as much in the rain. I used to live in Seattle and we had easy access to composted chicken manure (Can't get it here because of histoplasmosis). That made a great mulch but you would have to be sure to keep it away from the crowns of all your plants.
I would be concerned about bark dust matting too much and no air getting in. As for when to mulch you can probably do it now or wait until you have done your fall clean up (cut down dead stems, etc.) If you do it now it might be easier to see where all the plants are so you don't cover the crowns.
Isn't gardening fun? I remember in Seattle I would start getting spring blooms from bulbs and primroses as early as January and February. How wonderful that was!

NOH20: Pine or spruce needles might not be a good idea in the Pacific Northwest due to winter precipitation that leeches the tanic acid into the soil. We can't even get the lawn to grow under our spruce trees, clear out to the drip line.

anastatia: Are you adding mulch around the plants to add nutrients, or are you trying to protect the plants over the winter? If you do not freeze, but have rains, I imagine nutrients would leech into the soil in the winter. However, I don't know if plants will take in these nutrients during a dormant stage. If not, you'd be better off adding them in the spring, don't you think?

Found these sites in reference to Pacific Northwest Mulching: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2001/0930/plant.html

http://eesc.orst.edu/agcomwebfile/edmat/html/pnw/pnw548/pnw548.html

http://www.mybackyard.com/current/12p1.htm

http://www.westsidegardener.com/quick/winter_veggies.html