If you are going to plant veggies, it would have been great to have planted a cover crop (sometimes called green manure) that you could turn back into the soil in the spring. I'll give you some links on that.

Since it's too late for that, you could do the compost now and it will have time to improve the tilth (consistency/texture) and add microbes to your soil. Another option would be to build a lasagna bed there. It depends on how much work you want to do. I would do one or the other now so that mother nature has time to improve the soil over the winter. The healthier your soil the healthier your veggies will be and better able to fight off pests and diseases. Here's a bunch of links you can read over the winter.


Understanding your soil:
http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/soil_quali...gy_primer.html
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/sfi_html/...ach/index.html
http://www.attra.org/soils.html
http://www.cce.cornell.edu/programs/...ter/index.html
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/soil/

Peat moss - to use or not to use:
http://www.ondelmarva.com/peat.html
http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ksheets/peat.html#help
http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/facts/peat.htm

Compost:
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/data/so...647001285.html
http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/
http://www.mastercomposter.com/ref/orgmat1.html
http://www.gardenguides.com/articles/dynamic.htm

Lasagna gardening:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/menar...173-050-01.htm
http://www.bconnex.net/~carolw/lasagna1.html
http://www.farm-garden.com/primers/26/

Cover crops:
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/covercrop.html#principle

Companion planting:
http://www.moonsweb.com/companions.shtml
http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/Publications/EAP55.htm
http://www.penpages.psu.edu/penpages.../29401183.html

I realize that I've given you quite a bit of reading, but I think it will all be helpful. Don't hesitate to ask more questions.

Newt