As spring approaches, thoughts turn to mucking about in the soil – preparing a garden that could eventually provide colourful blooms and delicious produce to perk up our winter-wearied spirits.

However, getting there isn't always as easy as one, two, three.

Preparing for the winter ahead

It's October and it's time to get serious about the fall garden. Plant bulbs, rake apples, empty compost and clean out plant pots before the sleet and snow freezes everything solid like a jellied salad.

Local organizations bring it from niche to mainstream

Once considered a niche market, composting in Calgary has gone mainstream.

From grass clippings to chicken bones and leftover produce to dryer lint, urban composting has rapidly evolved over the past several years thanks to new curbside pickup capabilities, improved technology and world-class recycling centres, say local sustainability experts.

Since 2015, Hop Compost has diverted more than 900,000 kilograms of waste from local landfills thanks to a new "clean-tech" process called HotRot.

Founder and CEO Kevin Davies said the company turns waste into high-quality organic compost via a process that seals and computerizes the compost process, using live data to optimize microbe activity every 60 seconds.

City rolls out revised waste diversion targets

The City of Calgary is rolling out revised waste diversion targets after a report labelled the previous targets as "ambitious."

The new goal, which calls for 80 per cent of Calgary's garbage to be diverted from city landfills by the year 2025, replaces the previous goal of 80 per cent by the year 2020.

According to the report's author, City of Calgary waste services planner Dick Ebersohn, the revised goal takes into account information gathered since the initial rollout, thus making it more achievable.

You don't have to get all your gardening done in one go

Are you doing all your own gardening this summer?

Are you ready to rock 'n roll in the radish patch and primp your patio?

While your internal kettle is boiling and your energy is high, you probably think you can do it all in one big push.

And then reality sets in.

You just don't have enough time. Instead of a marathon garden workout, you need the small-bite approach to gardening. Don't look at your garden as a huge mess needing to be tamed over a weekend. Lighten your load and start looking at tasks in tiny nibbles or tasty snacks wedged between your other daily tasks.

Composting pilot project sees early success

In 2012, Calgarians threw out more than 214,000 tonnes of garbage into local landfills.

More than half that garbage was in the form of food and yard waste that could have otherwise ended up as compost, said the City of Calgary, which is now entering the third-year of a Green Cart pilot project in four Calgary communities testing the impact of a food and yard waste diversion program.

Since its inception, the City's Green Cart project has collected and composted more than five million kilograms of material from the 7,500 participating homes, reducing the total amount of garbage collected in the four communities by 40 per cent.

Hot coffee and fires in winter good for both gardens and gardeners

If you are not already on a plane to a tropical destination, you are likely staying put this winter with a hot cup of coffee in front of the fireplace.

My friend Brenda McIntyre was doing just that when she sent a text and asked, whether it was alright to put wood ash from her fireplace into the composter?

"Is once-in-a-while OK?" she asked. "Maybe it will balance off all the acidic coffee grounds I add every day? The Calgary soil is higher pH, so is this useful?"

Making great compost this winter

My husband is a new-age composter.

By that, I mean composting is a new thing for him – something he hasn't historically been involved with.

And if there is one thing my engineer husband likes it's a task with logical and direct instructions. He doesn't want to guess what I need for my birthday, so he isn't going to guess what pile the potato peels he's holding should be dumped into.

Some garden tips for Calgary's spring season

Spring dashes in and out of Calgary like a mouse checking for crumbs at the cabin. Winter is gone and the earth is warming. Suddenly, winter is back again with flurries and frost.

As the snow melts, jobs in the garden include raking the lawn, cleaning leaves off outdoor beds and making compost. These jobs seem simple enough but wait —
not so fast. The surface of the lawn has to be thawed and that takes longer on
the shady side of the yard.

Now that the snow melted for the most part, Calgarians are taking to their yards for raking and gardening, a perfect time for thoughts to turn to composting.

This spring, the City is encouraging residents to drop off yard waste at City landfills,
free of charge, so it can be composted instead of thrown away as waste. Until June 1, all three City landfills will waive fees for residential loads of leaves, branches and
other yard waste.