@47ce6ec1 It doesn't look like mulch, it looks like bark chips. Bark chips remove nitrogen from the soil, making it infertile. The round outgrowths are probably fungal bodies of fungi that existed in the bark. 
Anywhere you still want to plant something next year, I would spread a thin layer of calcium cyanamide in the winter (preferably on top of the snow) to restore the nutrient balance. 

 @a15937f0 👍 🤩