What does this say about the state of my soil?

[Sunshine49]

Hi everyone!

The soil in my back garden looks very “solid” and dry. It even has a crack running through it - please see the attached pic! I’m based in south London so am assuming it’s clay. What do I need to do to improve the soil quality and get it looking healthier? Should I break it up with a fork to aerate it? Add top soil and/or compost? Give the plants a serious watering?

Sorry if this sounds like a daft question - this is my first garden after years of living in flats with no outside space, so I’m a bit clueless!

It’s compacted, not good for plants or worms. It’s often what happens to clay soil.
I’d gently loosen it up with a hand fork, water well and put some organic rich compost around the plants.

Lots of soil is doing this at the moment.

Just mulch it, If you have a lawn use the mowings and put it on the cracked soil 3-4 inches thick. Keep doing that all summer.