"........Possible to organise yourself so that you build a bed.
Fill it with soil. Start growing
Build another bed Fill it
etc until you run out of garden/money/patience ....."

Or just get large pots 18" or so, and grow bags (And the answer is Yes. you
can grow carrots in pots (just don't choose long rooted varieties).
Then after a year, make hollows on your Gravel/soil and empty pots/grow bags
in to give you growing media for Shrubs/herbaceous plants .......put in
smaller plants that will develop a root system to suit your ground.
Re fill pots and get more grow bags.
Over time you will build up the soil to something useful.
If you can get good manure etc then top dress the ground with this, let the
worms take it down for you.
If you have turfed an area for lawn, use the clippings as a mulch around the
plants you have planted into the ground.
Lastly if you are worried about your planting areas drying out to fast then
line the holes with newspaper before planting.
When I was young my Aunts had a very shallow chalky soil so the trench for
Runner beans was taken out in the Autumn, lined with newspaper, then all veg
waste was put into the trench till end of April, then the soil replaced on
top and the beans planted, they got a reasonable crop this way. The paper
slowed down the loss of water.


--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk