I'm glad you didn't give up even though it's winter. That's the gardening virus we share in this wonderful group.
My wife has already planted some plants in egg cartons, if yours has biodegradable cardboard on those boxes. Then just put the whole egg carton in the ground as a seedling.
If you have a problem with poor soil like I have in my garden where I now have an orchard. Instead of tilling the top surface, try digging a few holes and adding humus there and maintaining that part. You can even line that hole with some old tiles and leave the existing soil, clay, underneath.
Or without digging on the surface of the ground itself, make a few hollow boxes for humus