If there is one piece of advice we’d give someone wanting to be a better gardener it would be this: Stop skimping on the mulch.
Mulch thicker and more often. If it’s aged somewhat and not too chunky, many plants can grow in pure mulch. Almost all potted plants are grown in most, if not all, bark mulch.
Mulching a layer every year is the best way to keep weeds down and build up topsoil.
Speaking of topsoil, many of us in the mountains don’t really have any. If you are digging with a pick mattock in clay, you don’t have much topsoil to speak of. Plants would prefer some topsoil.
The least expensive way to build topsoil is to keep adding organic matter like mulch, letting it break down over time.
There are lots of mulch options out there and it can be overwhelming to pick what to use. For most situations the answer is to keep it simple: Pine or hardwood bark. If you want it to stay for longer get something chunky like pine bark nuggets. If you want topsoil and nutrients for your plants get a double or triple grind.
That said, any mulch is better than nothing. If you have a bunch of pine straw, by all means use it. Just go for the bark the next go around.
Finally, be sure to ask for all bark if you go to a local mulch yard. Sometimes they have a generic mix, usually a little cheaper, that is made from the whole tree. You want the good stuff.
Oh, and there is never a bad time to mulch. It makes a great winter project.