Mulch helps keep your soil moist and can add nutrients, depending on what you use. Soil is the best mulch, but any organic material helps. Look around your property and neighborhood for possibilities. Native hay makes an excellent mulch. Other possibilities are leaves, weed-free straw, or aged sawdust.
Cloth holds moisture on the surface and provides even shade for emerging seedlings.
If you do mulch, make sure the mulch is not too heavy. Compacted straw can inhibit seedling emergence. If you use cloth or burlap, remove it after 2-3 weeks so that the seedlings don't become spindly and white beneath it. Sprinkle the binder at a rate of 1-2 lbs. On steep slopes, more binder may helpful.