How do I clear grass from a new planting area please?

[bella29]

Hello all

Am quite new to this gardening malarkey but the hardest thing I find is trying to clear turf from areas I want to plant. I have tried killing it off first with a tarpaulin and I know a rotovator/turf stripper would probably do the job, but does anyone have any tips?

Many thanks!

Take a spade and cut around it, then scoop under it.

Yes, that's what I'm doing at the moment but it's quite hard going