Lumpy ground

Is it clay soil (i.e. the soil really sticks together)? That could explain the lumpiness. I think it may be a case of gradually adding manure, etc, over the years to break the clay down a bit and yes, bashing it with a fork/spade in the meantime. Potatoes are a good crop to help break up the soil too. I like clay soil. It's harder work at digging time but you can still grow most things (carrots might need a different environment though) and it holds the moisture, which means less watering.

p.s. being walked on is something to particularly avoid if you've got clay soil as it compacts the clay.

yes, it's the clay holding the lumps together. You don't get lumps on sandy soil ~ if you do, there's usually a good reason for it, like a nest of couch grass roots binding it together.

You don't need to have a "fine tilth" over the whole plot. Just bash the lumps that are in the way of your planting.

If you grow seedlings in modules/pots, you'll be adding compost every time you plant out. You also should be adding garden compost and leafmould every year too, as a mulch (don't dig it in, it's unnecessary and the worms don't like it).

If you dig before the Winter then the rain and frost will break the lumps down - although not digging at all is preferable

If you need a fine tilth (to sow some seeds) then you can pull a "drill" (V-shaped groove) and line it with some potting compost and sow into that. For a larger area then wait until it has rained and shortly thereafter the lumps will break down easily. Its a fine line between sticking to your boots, and setting like concrete again! usually a day or two after rain is about right. You might find that walking it (place your feet with the heel of one foot in the arch of the other, and then move forwards half-a-foot at a time swapping heel-and-arch positions) will crush all the lumps, and then raking over will break them up. Don't do that when it is wet, but when "just right" dry it won't compress the soil much, but will enable you to rake to a fine tilth.

The soil will improve over the years ... but mine is still somewhat lumpy after 7 years of applying lots of manure. I raise all my vegetable plants in 9cm pots and plant-out rather than sowing seed direct (except for carrots, and I have those at one end of the beds [that I crop-rotate each season] and the Carrot patch gets 3 bags of sand each season ... even having done that several times its still not "amazing" as yet

hi..i have two seperate sweetcorn patches..on one i dug it over when the soil was still quite wet and the ither when it was dry..the difference in the two is unreal.....i wont ever dig wet soil again....