Bust it up good! Add some good compost to fluff it up, hold the moisture, and keep it from compacting.
I’m sort of lucky because my dog lived in my back yard for 16 yrs till he died. The dirt is black as coal, and there are earthworms back there as big as cobras!
Just in some places I’m still not sure how many/big rocks there are, so last year, I used the spade.
Every time I use that tiller I’m astounded that it even starts...!!
(But I am pretty good with small engines)
The small tiller that I have was bought about 15 years ago by my Father. I found it in his storage unit after he died. It was still in its original box. It is very, very hard to start. But once it is running it wont quit until you hit the kill switch.