Preparing plants AFTER harvest - different climates

[augiesd]

I had a first year crop of 4 different varieties and they've all done well. Roots should be well established, so now the question is how best to prepare the soil for winter. My plants are in S. Dakota which is zone 5, so it can get pretty cold. Do you add a bunch of mulch and grass around the plant base to protect from a hard freeze? What are your best experiences with colder climates, and for those in more temperate climates, how best to prepare for a dormant season?
Also, I saw on another thread that I should cut the vine and any further growth should be cut at first frost just above the soil. Is this the consensus?
Thanks for your advice!

 

[Yooper]

I'm in zone 4. I don't do anything to mine. They are cut down/die to the ground and come back every spring without fail.

 

[Zuljin]

8a here. Not near as cold as y'all. I cover with some mulched up grass and leaves. Works.

 

[thaymond]

I'm in zone 5, winter can get pretty ugly. I toss a layer of topsoil on the plants and let them be until spring. Last winter was particularly harsh, and they came back just fine.

Now if only next year it would get on a normal rain schedule, we would all be just fine...

 

[dmunkey]

We'll toss about 2 shovels of compost over each hill to put them to bed for the winter. This is Western NY, Zone 6a

 

[TheCADJockey]

We get brutal winters. I still do zero to maintain our nugget and they come back monsters every year.