Nice that you are both looking forward optimistically!
And you can start spreading organic matter and mulch at any time of year. Now is ideal if ground is bare after harvests or failed crops. If there are few enough weeds to pull by hand, you need use only compost and no light excluding mulch on top of it. Be clear about the difference between
(a) the first season of clearing weedy ground with light excluding mulch, and compost/manure/whatever underneath that to enrich soil as weeds are dying, and
(b) every season after that when your soil is and stays clear of weeds, so the compost mulch is to feed the soil rather than smother weeds. But it does happen to reduce weed growth because they seem to want to grow less in rich, undug soil!
A special case is if you make a one-off bed with, say, six inches compost on top of weeds & grass, you don’t need the light excluding mulch on top because six inches is enough to smother all attempted regrowth by the weeds below (except bindweed, keep pulling it). After making a bed like that you can sow and plant straightaway, no need to wait for weeds to die below.