Launch the Garden Season at Master Gardeners’ Annual Plant Sale

By Marilyn Canteloupe

A scene from the Master Gardeners' Plant Sale in 2024. Photo courtesy of the Coconino Master Gardeners' Association.

Grab your sun hat and get out your gloves! Find those trowels and shovels! It’s here! The time of year we gardeners have dreamt about all winter long, when the outdoors calls us to beautify our space with lovely green and all other colors of the rainbow. But where and how do we start?

Simple! Come one, come all to the Coconino Master Gardener Association’s Annual Plant Sale on May 23 from 10 AM to 2 PM at Colton Garden on the Museum of Northern AZ campus. Here you’ll find a plethora of local growers and artists ready to share their wares. With free admission and free parking, there’s enough to please even the fussiest gardeners.

New to gardening? You’ll meet plenty of folks more than willing to help you select plants to ensure a successful start. Have a problem with something you’ve grown? There’ll be an information table where you can bring your questions. Come join the fun and find treasures sure to satisfy all levels and ages of gardeners at this family-friendly event.

Elevated Gardening is returning with plants and seeds adapted for our high altitude, as well as dried herbs, perennial berries, shirts, hats and totes. For those interested in helping the monarch butterfly population, AZ Milkweeds for Monarchs will have over 10 species of milkweeds to purchase.

There will be quite the selection of native plants, herbs and seeds from Lily of the Field, the MNA Moore Medicinal Garden, NAU Research Greenhouse, The Arboretum at Flagstaff, and Wild Heart Farm. Lily of the Field will also have native shrubs, trees and books.

Looking for tomatoes, peppers, native grasses, other veggies and flowers? Check out Terra BIRDS, a youth and student group that is quite excited to sell their plant starts. Erin Cunningham, Morton-Starner and Sleeping Dog Gardens will be marketing an assortment of edible flowers and perhaps even some small wooden crafts and compost. Forces of Nature Farm will offer perennial edible plants focused on pollinator support and soil amending.

Maybe you’re more interested in greening up your indoor space.  Plantae has loads of unique houseplants not typically found elsewhere. Armstrong Martindale Provisions (AMP) has a collection of cedar planter boxes, wooden plant stands, and wood crafts for gardens and kitchens you won’t want to miss.

Because some folks believe we can’t live by plants alone, Nevermore Gardens sells handcrafted soaps, sourdough bread and botanical body care products, in addition to their vast assortment of plants. Tamales USA, Timberline Ice Cream, and SingleSpeed Coffee will return to help us renew our energy to visit all the vendors. Northland Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc. will sell baked goods to raise money for the Olivia White Hospice Home.

Once your energy levels are restored, peruse vendors who offer decorative items to enhance your garden, such as Cindy Wolf’s yard art, AZ Homegrown Glass’s upcycled glass/metal garden art, and CLAY ART’s pottery and jewelry. Three Sisters Bean Farm LLC will have coloring books and cookies in addition to seeds and starts.

Who can resist strolling through the Colton Garden, living proof that gardening is indeed possible in our challenging, mountain environment. This is where you will find activities for the kiddos and information tables hosted by Flagstaff Sustainability and Foodlink, to name just a couple.

Be sure to stop by the CMGA Used Tool and Book Booth…you’re sure to find something you might not have known you needed! Proceeds help fund community garden grants. Or if seasons of use have rendered your current tools dull, Cutting Edge Tool Sharpening is here to help!

Concerned your soil might need help to give your new plants a fighting chance? Visit Laughing Goat Gardens for Eco Fleece, pelleted wool as a soil amendment. Restoration Soils is returning with bags of compost. Compost Crowd will be offering subscriptions for their food scrap collection service.

Are you afraid your arms will get tired carrying all your purchases to the parking lot? We have you covered with our holding area. We’ll hang on to your treasures while you get your car.

We can’t wait to see you Saturday May 23, from 10 am to 2 pm, at the Colton Community Garden (3101 North Fort Valley Road). Enter on Research Center Drive for free parking. Please note, there will be no sales before 10 AM.

Marilyn Canteloupe has been growing in Flagstaff since becoming a Master Gardener in 2020. Gardening Etcetera is written for the community by certified Master Gardeners of the University of Arizona's Coconino County Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program. To learn more visit https://extension.arizona.edu/programs/coconino-county-master-gardener