My advice is to get a tiller, It makes life so much easier than digging the soil by hand. I have spent hours shoveling dirt and it has killed my back to where I need pain killers for days at a time.
A tiller just rips through everything and don't cost loads. worth it in my view. either that or start a no dig garden, you just need compost and a few cardboard boxes, lay boxes down on the ground and add compost to top, cardboard keeps the weeds a way and the compost is your growing material.
all fun and games.