Rock hard desert soil

[Mariagiova]

Hi everyone! I have a backyard with wonderful potential in a home I bought this winter. When I went back to start to work on growing some grass and some veggies, I tried to dig into the "soil" and it is literally as hard as cement. I tried to hack at it with a pick, and it started to dent the pick! I need help! How do I make the ground soft enough to even START conditioning it for growth?

[applestar]

Try reading this thread -- someone else had similar problem in Los Angeles
Subject: How to break up rock-hard soil?