Want to bloom your own bounty? Here are four things to do to get your garden ready

Not much can beat a ripe, juicy tomato picked fresh from the vine, or a crisp cucumber that packs a nutritious crunch. Homegrown veggies are delicious, nutritious and cost-effective.

Yet as Calgarians also know, there's a small window in which to grow their bounty.

That's why those with a green thumb like to plan out their seasonal gardens – from determining the garden's design to, of course, choosing the variety of crops – to make the most out of the planting and growing season.

If this is your first crack at planting and you're not sure how to get started, don't be intimidated, said Chelsie Anderson, owner and operator of Chelsie Squared Gardening.

Sneak peak at this year's Home + Garden Show

Nobody arguably knows more about how to succeed as a gardener in Calgary than Donna Balzer. The noted horticulturist and speaker is author of No Guff Vegetable Gardening, a regular CREB®Now columnist and trusted messiah for countless Calgarians trying to discover their green thumbs.

On Feb. 26 and 28, Balzer will take the stage at this year's Home + Garden Show to talk about how we can change our world, one cabbage at a time. CREB®Now recent sat down with Balzer to get a sneak peek.

CREB®Now: Why should I start thinking about my garden now when there's still snow on the ground?

Balzer: Gardening is two parts dreaming and three parts doing. The best ideas might be waiting for you right now at a talk, on Pinterest or in a gardening book. If you are serious about starting a garden, you will want to start looking and reading now because by the time the weather is perfect for doing it is too late.

The City's annual Spring Clean-Up kicks off April 13.

While the official start of the clean-up is Monday, some sweepers have already hit the streets taking advantage off the fair weather. Winter sweeping, as it's known, allows crews to get a head start on cleaning the 15,000 lane kilometres of roadway in the city reducing he amount of material that can get washed into the sewer system.

To water or not to water in Calgary's early spring, that is the question

Perennial plants close to buildings were popping up in the heat wave a couple weeks ago, but my shovel clunked into ice just below the surface.

It reminded me winter is still transitioning into spring in Calgary. Our mild winter with yo-yo temperatures and light snow cover makes it both tricky for outdoor plants and stressful for gardeners such as Marilyn Brown, who was worried about her Columnar Blue Spruce and wanted to know if she should water it.

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.