I came across this great blog post today about soil – http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeandgarden/2009/03/about-that-dirt/.
At my house I have clay soil, but my clay is different than the clay that they talk about. The clay at my house is so hard that when I dig a hole to plant something I have to use the shovel to shave the clay out in thin layers. It’s so hard you can’t shovel like normal. I will have to take a picture or get a video for you just so you can see how hard it is.
After I get the hole dug (I dig the holes twice as big as I need) and place whatever I’m planting, I mix a little sand and quite a bit of potting soil with the clay to loosen it up.
The post also contains a link to building raised beds.
If you have time you might want to check out the whole Pioneer Woman website and let me know if there are any other good posts there. Despite being firmly secure in my masculinity, I am a little uncomfortable spending a lot of time there myself (I did scan the Cowboy Food).
-Jason