Bees are humming, birds are chirping and hummingbird feeders decorate eaves all over Flagstaff. Signs of spring abound, and for all you gardeners, it鈥檚 time to plant! Now that snowfalls have come and gone (fingers crossed), our visions of lovely flowers and tasty vegetables are foremost in our minds.
To help get you started, the Coconino Master Gardener Association (CMGA) in partnership with the Coconino County Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Program and the Museum of Northern Arizona are holding their free annual Plant Sale and Garden Festival on Saturday, May 24. Even if growing isn鈥檛 quite your thing, you鈥檙e sure to find something that delights!
This family-friendly event will take place at MNA鈥檚 Colton Garden (3101 N. Fort Valley Road) with plenty of plants, food, activities, and fun for all. Watch for signs and volunteers to direct you to free parking. Festivities last from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Please note there are no sales before 10 a.m.)
More than 20 vendors will be selling your favorite garden starts and seeds, along with native plants. Because these plants are locally grown, you may have a more successful gardening experience this year.
There will also be fabulous garden decor, compost, soaps, and fresh microgreens. The fun doesn鈥檛 end with shopping鈥njoy educational opportunities, a used tool and book sale, children鈥檚 activities, and scrumptious food.
Lily of the Field sells native and heirloom plants and locally collected seeds. The Arboretum at Flagstaff has native plants suited for Flagstaff. Forestdale Farm offers sustainably grown veggie/herb starts from their local family farm. Nevermore Gardens offers starts, flowers, and hand-crafted soaps.
Restoration Soils has locally created compost. Laughing Goat Gardens sells wool pellets for aiding water retention and aeration to your soil. Cutting Edge Professional Sharpening will sharpen your tools. Tools gone missing? CMGA Second Chance Table has gently used gardening tools, books, and supplies鈥ou may get lucky and find that lost one!
Flagstaff Grown will have veggie, herb, and flower starts. Three Sisters Bean Farm鈥檚 wares include seeds and starts. Local K-12 students will be selling plants they started with Terra BIRDS. Route 66 4-H Stem Club cannot wait to surprise us with their offerings! AZ Home Grown Glass creates garden decor to decorate your space while those seedlings grow.
Elevated Gardening carefully curates vegetable, herb, and flower cultivars for our region. High Country Microgreens offers several types of fresh microgreens. Plantae joins us with amazing houseplants. And who can resist helping monarch butterflies by making a purchase from Milkweed for Monarchs?
But that鈥檚 not all! The Michael Moore Medicinal Garden will be offering native plants and herbs for sale. Find flowers, veggie starts, herbs, and pollinator plants from Wildheart Farms. Ch鈥檌shie Farms has local garden starts. Clay Art offers stunning planters, cups, and plates, and Cindy Wolf will be there with highly sought-after yard art.
Hungry from all that activity? Satisfy your urge by grabbing a treat from the Northland Hospice Bake Sale, Tamales USA, Timberline Ice Cream or a coffee from Single Speed.
Colton Garden hosts children鈥檚 activities, pueblo-style oven pizza and information tables from Flagstaff Sustainability, Foodlink, Steady Harvest and Audubon. Take the self-guided tour of season extenders and enter the raffle for a season extender built by the recent Master Gardener class!
Wondering how to care for your new purchases or have a question about a gardening problem? The Master Gardener Q&A table has answers.
We look forward to seeing you on May 24! For the most current list of vendors, please visit .
CMGA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a group of well-educated gardeners to teach classes and care for gardens in the community. The association provides support for Master Gardener volunteers and the Master Gardener Program.
Master Gardeners are community educators who work with UA Cooperative Extension to educate residents by providing research-based horticultural information that promotes the development of healthy, sustainable communities. The Master Gardener Program runs a 16-week course every spring to train new Master Gardeners.