For most of the US this cold blast will be the last and it will be time to start getting our hands dirty. I have a 12 acre farm that fully supports my family and leaves plenty left over for storage and the future. While I'm biased a bit, I think it's time to bring back victory gardens.
Get out there, dig in the dirt, and plant some seeds.
Feel free to ask advice here!
Raised beds need more watering than in the ground because they drain faster. Read up on French intensive or square foot gardening. Because the plants are close enough to touch, they shade out weeds and shade the soil a bit too. More food, less space.
I need raised beds or am screwed. Sandy soil location
I have rocky soil, or I should say we laughingly refer to the pile of rocks we live on as "soil." It drains off almost as soon as the rain falls. And we hit an extremely dry spell every summer about July. I do have some decent soil on another part of my land but I have to string really long hoses together to water it. Mulch like crazy or use French intensive planting. And then there's the black walnuts. Did I tell you about the stuff from their roots that kills many types of plants within 85 feet of the trunk? And taking out the tree doesn't fix that.
BTW, when you build your raised beds, make sure the soil you buy to fill it is good. Lowes the last couple of years has been selling some really awful stuff as soil - unrotted chunks of wood, sand, lots of junk in there that isn't soil.
Less mineral buildup if you are watering with tap water.
Non aerated tap water is more prone to root without good drainage.