Amending soil

[SarahLouise]

New to this forum and am currently looking to plant a cover crop for the first time. My goal is to add organic matter and nitrogen to my compacted Sierra Nevada Foothills garden plot. I've ordered a mix of vetch, bell beans, dundale peas and oats.
The question is do I wait for it to rain and soften up this rock-hard baked earth then till and risk clodding, muscle through with a rented rear tine tiller or is there a softer gentler way?
Any advise is greatly appreciated!

[stella1751]

Leave the hose on the bed on trickle water overnight. Wait a day or two, and then it should be easier to spade.

[rainbowgardener]

Softer, gentler would be not to till. They aren't crops you have to baby a lot. Just soak the bed, like stella said, break it up a little bit with a fork or hoe then plant. In the spring you can till or just turn them under with a spade.