... We've also got a big round, South-facing flower garden, and another 6' X 1' shaded East-facing bed that we'll try to convert...
...I had to laugh this morningwhen my step-daughter headed out with a shovel to start digging. She came back in shortly thereafter, and with a frown said "the ground's still frozen."...
Same project and problem, different climate. We're working on two backyard flower gardens. One's west facing about 1 1/2 x 20 ft, and the others south facing about 1 1/2 x 15 ft.
It's not frozen here, but I've already broken two trowels and a shovel trying to excavate various weeds and patches of lawn. If your step-daughter wants to give it another try, Home Depot sells a 2.5 lb mattock (my new toy).