Because I live in the arid city of Calgary, we need to water our perennials thoroughly before the snow flies, and mulch, mulch, mulch! I cut down the tall stuff, then leave it sit on the garden - veggie and flower.
Next year I hope to plant tomato seeds and the only way they're going to come up is for the soil to be very wet under the mulch and to leave it until the beginning to middle of June (when danger of frost is gone).
We're in the shade of the mountains, and it can fluctuate a great deal in the springtime (from freezing, to mid-70's) so we have to be careful not to be fooled by Mother Nature!
