Any bare spot in my garden is a haven for weed seeds to germinate. By mulching between crops the weeds are reduced significantly. Plus by mulching early you do give the the mulch a chance to settle and for the worms and other critters and things to start breaking down the mulch and enriching the soil. If you want to plant early you might want to pull back the mulch (might even put down some color of plastic to heat the soil). If you are not in too big a rush just pull back the mulch at planting time.
