So i just bought a house and i fancy myself an aspiring gardener - however i want some advice before i start. I've got lots of tubs on the go so i think ive got that part of gardening ok, but im wanting to lay turf and beds etc.

On the subject of laying turf - what do i need to do? My soil is clay heavy, to the point that during winter with lots of rain there were massive puddles forming and staying for a long time (im not sure if this is because of a drainage problem or because it kept raining) but now the good weather is here it has dried up... so much so that the soil has now gone rock hard. I believe this is the nature of clay soil so im not too horrified. Do i need to break it up manually before laying turf? The house is a newbuild so should i be laying topsoil? any advice would be fabulous.

Thanks