[MulesMarinair]

Hi folks
Moved house last summer and have much smaller garden but it will be much more manageable.  Have a strip beside the wall, about 5m X 2m  where I thought I could get some spuds this year, break up the earth a bit while we get rest of garden in order.
However, on first pass there's a lot of sawdust lying around, going deep in one section and having probed a bit I have found some roots that look like they came from that spot. Looks like at some point a tree was there and a stump was taken out.

Any suggestions?  Have read that sawdust wont let anything thrive because it needs a lot of nitrogen to break it down. Was thinking about scraping out as much as possible, remove it and rotavate any remaining (minority hopefully) into the remaining clay. 

Also... Strip is south side of garden sheltered by a 6 foot wall. Will get morning and evening light though.  Should it be a problem for spuds ?

Thanks

MM Esq

[Yorkie]

I'm not sure about the sawdust, but being that close to the wall will mean that you have to pay very close attention to watering.  The wall will create a rain shadow, and probably will also absorb moisture from the soil.  Spuds need lots of watering when the tubers are growing, so water profusely.