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

why wait til autum seed it now
"Steve Harris" wrote in message
...
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

In article ,
(pied piper) wrote:

why wait til autum seed it now

I believe spring and autumn are considered the best times. Currently,
the ground is bone dry and and in my particular case, preparation of the
the ground has only just started.

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

seed it early September when the light rains and warmth will help it along
nicely
Do not roll it though .....keep the soil loose but level
"Steve Harris" wrote in message
...
In article ,
(pied piper) wrote:

why wait til autum seed it now

I believe spring and autumn are considered the best times. Currently,
the ground is bone dry and and in my particular case, preparation of the
the ground has only just started.

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

In message , Steve
Harris writes
In article ,
(pied piper) wrote:

why wait til autum seed it now

I believe spring and autumn are considered the best times. Currently,
the ground is bone dry and and in my particular case, preparation of the
the ground has only just started.


Indeed. If you sow grass seed now you have got to keep it well watered
in any warm weather.

If you want a good tilth then I think the only answer is to put some
work into it. Break up the lumps, rake it, break up lumps, rake it etc.
Of course dry weather makes the lumps dry and hard - I may be tempted to
leave it until later in the year.

(Frost can help, but it doesn't break it down that much.

I've no experience of this. but some one called Paul Womack/Bugbear who
used to post here posted a number of times about the lengths he went to
prepare a surface for a new lawn.

http://www.google.co.uk/groups?as_q=...20progress&as_
ugroup=uk.rec.gardening&lr=&hl=en

Will get you the threads.
--
Chris French and Helen Johnson, Leeds
urg Suppliers and References FAQ:
http://www.familyfrench.co.uk/garden/urgfaq/index.html