[UrbanG]

After planning, sorting and building our 2 new patios and 2 new large raised beds I seem to have caught the gardening bug and WANT more growing space.

Since my better half has banned me from digging up any more lawn I have started to 'think outside the box' and indeed outside my garden.

At the very rear of my garden there is a small bit of waste land (its at the side of a little drainage stream / river and the little jitty which serves as the access to the back of our homes. No one every walks down there and it basically serves no purpose other than being overgrown.

So, I have dug up 2 patches (about 4m x 1m) of nettles and weeds either side of a massive Black Birch tree. the soil is very dry and rocky and I dont have the time or money to try and get it sorted this year.

Question is:
What can I throw and get a good crop from? low maintenance, I can water the area everynight but I am guessing the big tree will enjoy the extra drink I am providing more than my crop.
What can I plant and not worry to much about them this year?

Any ideas??  (and sorry for this being so long  Just noticed  haha)

[compostqueen]

Soon as I saw the word "jitty" I knew you were local to me 

If there are nettles there then it's a sign it will grow something. You could save those nettles and make some "tea" with them to act as a fertiliser for it later

It would be best if you could fork it about a bit and maybe add a bit of bagged compost or sand, wood ash, manure etc, leaf mould, grass clippings to bulk it up a bit, add nutrients etc.  All that bulking material would raise it slightly which would help

Parsley, oregano, coriander and sage are not fussy so you could have a go at those but the more good stuff you put into the soil the better produce you'll get. It stands to sense really but it wouldn't deter me.    Chives seem to grow anywhere too 

[RichardA]

blackberries or raspberries
If you can only create pockets of good soil then try pumpkins or marrows etc
R

[Swing Swang]

If the land serves no useful purpose then maybe you could buy it and take it into domestic curtilage (although I guess rights of access will have to be considered), then you can plant what you like on it.

If the scrub starts to look neat then maybe others will take interest in it too, so I guess that you'd need something fairly cheap vandal proof: Brambles/Jerusalem artichokes/horseradish etc

Start a 'nuttery' - hazel would be a good choice, and if you grow it as a coppice then you'll have a lifetime supply of bean poles. You might need to find some way of 'relocating' the birch...swap it for a wallnut and make it earn its keep (but they do grow very big unless the roots are constrained).

If you're intending to plant apples in your garden then plant a crab apple on the waste ground - it will act as a pollination partner for your cultivars.

Failing that develop a taste for the nettles that are already growing there - lots of good recipes around.

SS