Quite often, your soil can be either too hard or wet in the spring to even consider trying to plant. Eventually you’ll be able to plant something, but when? Here’s an excellent suggestion to figure out if your soil is ready to be worked:
Just a few steps
If you step onto your soil and your feet don’t sink in at all, the ground is likely too hard for you to plant in. You also don’t want to step into it and have water rush up to your shoes.
Time for the squeeze test
Grab a handful of soil and squeeze it in your bare hand. If the soil doesn’t form a ball it is probably in perfect condition to work. However, if it forms a ball, your test isn’t finished yet. Take the ball you formed and drop it from waist high onto the ground. If it doesn’t break that much or not at all, there is still too much moisture. If it does fall apart, you should be ready to start planting.
Source: eHow.com