Cant win all the time!! Garden spuds

Today I dug up the final patch of spuds, which died down weeks ago - it hasnt rained so i was confident they would be ok.  I would have been right, except there werent any.  I popped the last seed spuds in this patch, kind of late, dumped some straw on top, had hardly any poop so it didnt break down.  This is a patch that hasnt been productive in the past, infact its been the spot in the garden where all the prunings sit until i have time to deal with them.  Its the place that means the rest of the garden is pretty tidy - every garden needs a spot like this.  It was a desperate move, it was a 'chuck them in move', or 'throw them away move'.  So what's been gained?  The patch is not full of earthworms but theres more than there was.  Theres lots of slaters and bug type life, so thats better than nothing.  It is now an egg yellowing patch as the chooks work it over.  Its ready for green compost - even though its not a sunny patch if I can get some greens going and dig them through it can only improve.  I reacon it'll be a great place for mushies next year, its dark, earthy, and a little musky.  It's on a gentle slope so it doesnt retain moisture.  Any other ideas??  It's pretty shady.