Thanks for all the good info. The site is sandy coastal soil. Drains well, I am in a zone 6. I am going to try mustard and maybe sunflowers this year and see what difference it makes. I will dry the plants then burn and spread the ashes around the wild area of the yard. I don't any experience growing mushrooms and the area doesn't seem like mushrooms would like it- too dry and sandy. I only had a heavy metals test done- I knew the anti-fouling paint used on the boat would be a problem. As for other chemicals, this area was not used for anything else. I will look into vetiver grass , see if it will grow here.