Well, first of all, covering the area with black plastic will not get rid of the rocks....but you know that, of course.

If I were you, I would draw up the area to scale on graph paper. (1 graph paper block equals 1 square foot)
Lay out the planting blocks you want to use next year on paper and then in the garden.

Then, dig out those areas only. I'd advise you to leave three foot wide paths between each block for easy access with a wheelbarrow.

Let's say you choose to plant in 8 foot by four foot blocks. Even if the soil is extremely hard, you ought to be able to dig out one block in half a day or less. (It's the old adage, of how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.) If you're pretty fit, you should be able to dig two blocks in a morning.

If you don't plan to plant anything till spring, all you need to do is dig out the rocks, and then loosen the soil with a spade down a spade's depth. No need to lift or turn, just plunge in the shovel and pull back to break it up. Then pile on a foot or more of organic material, followed with a mulch to keep it in place over winter.

By spring, all that good stuff will have broken down and the worms will have carried it into your native soil underneath. You'll be virtually ready to plant then with a minimum of digging, and probably no tilling needed. It would be wise, though, to do a soil test so you know how to fertilize.

Remember that if you prepare your soil correctly to start with, you won't have to do it again. It will be worth it in the end. Honest!

I assume you are wanting to another weeds and grasses, but digging in it after tarping it will just surface new weed and grass seeds. If I were you I would do no dig anywhere you are not planting root veggies and just pile on the compost and plasticulture your butt off. Anywhere you will have root veggies you will need to dig,loosen and amend to keep the soil light as well as remove rocks.

Thanks for the responses. I definitely will be planting a lot of things like Carrots, Beets, etc. Would Kohlrabi be considered a root vegetable?

Donna, I heard shoveling is not as good for the soil since it could also slice worms and kill them. If you use a pitchfork, it would maybe only nick them.

I've been using the lasagna method, no digging at all. Mow the area. Start with a thick layer of wet newspapers. Alternate green (fresh grass clippings) and brown (old leaves). Add some wood ashes if you have some. Add a thin layer of soil. Build the pile up at least 24 inches. It will compact over winter. Every spring I add a couple of inches of well composted horse manure.

Our property has very thick sod. If we removed it, it would be at least 6" gone. Our local cooperative extension agent has even built a lasagna garden on top of a driveway. When rocks come to the surface, I remove them.

We left some wide grass walkways to give access for the pickup truck and riding lawn mower/cart but I've been putting newspaper covered with grass clippings on the narrow paths between beds just to keep things neat looking. I do have a problem with creeping weeds so I'll use a spading fork or shovel around the edges.

Well, that depends on how tough your soil is. I garden on very tight clay, so the only thing that will penetrate it is a spade (including a rototiller). I use a pitchfork to loosen the soil now that I have amended and worked the soil for three years and it is soft and loamy. Yes, you will cut earthworms with a spade. But if you are feeding your soil a continuous supply of organic material, their populations will be large enough to sacrifice a few along the way.

The process I recommended is my rendition of lasagna gardening on heavy tight clay. If you don't break it and loosen it a bit in the beginning, you may as well build a raised bed on concrete, which, of course, is possible. But, you will have to make your beds mighty high to have sufficient room for plant roots.

These are old pictures, but they might give you some ideas. I used exactly the process I described to build it.

Here is a link that might be useful: My garden in year two.

So, you are in 8B? No hard freezes?
What I do is cover with cardboard that I spear with a pitchfork so weeds get squashed and rain water gets in.
For new beds, I pitchfork as deep as I can in small time frames! (bad back and grumpy chiropractor!)
I add aged horse manure, grass clippings, UCGs and leaves and re-cover.
I take the cardboard off from time to time and mix in the above, then I let it sit!
When it's getting close to planting time I build my box, line it with gopher wire and get a pick up load of organic soil from the dump (about $15)
So Far, so good! Nancy

Nancy, it depends on the year. We do get hard freezes from time to time. 2008 was a particularly cold and snowy December.