Stony and hard ground

Chickenmama

I would love to grow a few vegetables and fruit but the ground is hard, stony and full of grass, weeds and moss. Apparently it probably has never seen a spade in it's live and neighbour reckons I'll end up with a sore back if I try and dig it over. Should I just cover it with a weed barrier  topped with bark and grow things in pots and troughs or go for deep beds? I'm reluctant to use weedkiller as I have 2 dogs. 

GillyL

I have used membrane to keep down the weeds and topped with gravel and then grown my vegetables in a selection of pots,have had great success with potatoes,carrots,beans,salad onions beetroot,radish and lettuce

Busy-Lizzie

You could also try raised beds.

http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/garden-diy/how-to-build-a-raised-vegetable-bed/272.html

Fairygirl

I think most weedkillers are fine once they've dried in Chick ( Resolva is the best I've found) but weed barrier would be my preference too. You could do an area big enough for your needs just now and use pots etc and gradually work on your plot to dig and improve the soil- cover it all up if you can to stifle new weeds and work on a few metres as and when you're able. It's a long slow process but worth it in the end as you will be able to grow what you want where you want. Perhaps you could rope in a few friends or relatives to give you a hand now and then?

As the others say- large pots or raised beds are the answer for the moment and will give you plenty of scope. 

Chickenmama

Thank you for your suggestions, I think this year it might be best to cover the weeds and plant in pots. Thank you for the link Busy-Lizzie, I've bookmarked it.