Here are some simple steps to help you be successful: 1. Pull out and take home all garden stakes, cages, name plates, trellis', etc. Out of respect for the neighborhood, we want gardens to be clean for the winter. 2. Pull out all annual plants and cut back perennial plants. Diseased plants go into the dumpster, other plants would normally go into the compost pile but the compost piles were built yesterday and are now "cooking" for the winter. Please DO NOT add any additional materials to the compost piles. 3. Put a 2" blanket of leaves (brought from your home) then manure (piled outside by the dumpster) over your garden. Ideally, watered in but the hoses are now put away and the water is off. If you can't do this part, then just till or broad fork your garden to allow winter moisture to penetrate deep into the soil. This is not "the" way to put your garden to bed, it is just one way that I've found works well.
