The toughest part of gardening is starting a new vegetable garden. I have started and left many gardens over the years. In my twenties, I would use a digging fork and a shovel but it takes a lot of time, blisters, and some sore muscles. Renting a rototiller is an option if you have the money and a vehicle to transport it. A few years ago, I decided to purchase an electric, plug-in rototiller which has plenty of power for a small, less than 1500 square feet, garden.
However, if you have patience, an opaque, heavy tarp can be used to smother any grass. You will want to weight it down with something you already have- clods of sod, bricks, gallon jugs of water. Depending upon the temperature, it can take a week to kill the sod but then you are half way there.
Once the sod is dead, take a digging fork to loosen and turn the soil. A garden rake can be used to break of the clods and even out the surface.
What to watch out for:
Avoid turning the soil after rainfall. The soil will be too wet and form huge clods. Then, when they finally dry out, it will be a chore to break them apart.
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