I have an area of about 200 sq ft that used to be a bramble forest. I
cleared it last summer and by a lot of fires, glyphosate and digging
bramble crowns, it's now bare earth.

This evening, I spread poultry manure pellets and started forking over
to a depth of about 3/4 spit. The surface has quite a crust and I have
lots of lumps several inches across. This doesn't look good for sowing
grass seed in autumn.

Will the lumps break down - should I leave winter frosts to do the job?
Also, what's the cheap time of year to buy a small lawn mower?

Other data:

Soil type: Sandy and alkaline
Site: Shaded in winter, part shaded in summer.
Drains well, slight slope
Desired lawn: light traffic, medium quality

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com