Root Camp 2025: A Gardening 101 Series

Welcome to Root Camp 2025! Join us for a fun and educational gardening education series starting on Saturday, March 08 at Warner's Nursery. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just starting out, this series is perfect for anyone looking to improve their green thumb skills.

Learn all the basics of gardening from planting to seed saving and everything in-between.
Each class is $10 (plus processing fees), but for every class you attend, you'll get a $10 certificate that can be redeemed for plants and gardening products.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to grow your gardening knowledge and make new friends who share your passion for plants. See you there!

• Common Houseplant Pests & Treatment, March 8, 10 am. Fungus gnats and mealy bugs and spidermites, oh my! Learn how to combat some of the most common houseplant pests. Your Instructor: Erzsi Olsen is the assistant store manager at Warner's Nursery.
  
• Composting, March 15, 10 am. Compost adds organic matter and healthy micro-organisms to your soil for better gardening. This course is designed to teach you how to turn food waste and other materials into high-quality plant-loving compost. Your Instructor: Frank Branham is a retired chef, former owner of the Cottage Place, and a Coconino Master Gardener.
  
• Pruning, March 22, 10 am. Tree pruning encourages tree growth and structure. In this session, we cover all the basics and benefits of pruning your trees from a native Flagstaff arborist. Your Instructor: Mick Henry is the owner and operator of Mick’s Tree Service and an ISA certified arborist.
  
• Crop & Garden Planning, March 29, 10 am. Description: Set yourself up for success in your garden by learning about choosing the right varieties of plants for Flagstaff, succession planting, timing, and season extenders. Your Instructor: Tina Gustafson is a Coconino Master Gardener with nearly a decade of gardening experience and a Master’s in Environmental Studies. She loves teaching folks how to grow their own food and turn their gardening passions into edible gardens they'll love.
  

• Seed Starting, April 5, 10 am. Seed starting indoors is a cost-effective way that allows you to grow long season crops in short season climates. Your Instructor: Adair Patterson manages the Research Greenhouse at NAU, which supports a variety of community garden efforts both on and off campus alongside academic plant research and native plant restoration in the southwest.
  
• Fertilizers 101, April 12, 10 am. Your Instructor: Dane Munk "lives and breathes horticulture" and loves to share his expertise.
  
• Common Shrub & Tree Pest Treatment, April 26, 10 am. Your Instructor: Rowan Brandenberg, a Flagstaff native, has worked with trees and shrubs at Warner's for two years and appreciates not only the way trees and shrubs add to the region's landscape, but the microclimates within our region that impact successful cultivation.
  
• Caring for Your Ponderosa Pine, May 3, 10 am. Learn how to care for your Ponderosa Pine, including proper watering, thinning, deadwooding, and being firewise. Construction damage, soil compaction, trunk defects and bark beetles will also be discussed.Your Instructor: Mick Henry is the owner and operator of Mick’s Tree Service and an ISA certified arborist.
  

• Raised Beds and Container Gardening, May 10, 10 am. If you’re dealing with limited space or poor soil, come learn about the benefits of container and raised bed gardening. From buckets to pots, wood frames to rocks, there’s a raised bed or container style just for you! Your Instructor: Janan Scott is a Coconino Master Gardener and past coordinator for the Coconino Community College Garden. She gardens at home using raised beds and containers, loves landscaping with native plants, and has a soft spot for paper wasps.
  
• Vermicomposting, May 17, 10 am. Want to bring your composting efforts to the next level? Try some worms. Vermicomposting, or worm composting, produces a rich organic soil amendment containing a diversity of plant nutrients and beneficial microorganisms. Your Instructor: Owen Kahler.
  
• Plants and Pollinators, May 31, 10 am. Birds, bees, bats and more are essential for a healthy ecosystem. Creating a garden that benefits those creatures is not only rewarding but beautiful to view. Our garden expert will teach you about common pollinators and their plant preferences, as well as what pest controls to avoid.Your Instructor: Patrick Pynes is an assistant teaching professor at Northern Arizona University, founder of the Northern Arizona Organic Beekeepers Association; and the head gardener for La Posada Hotel and Gardens in Winslow.
  
• Rainwater Harvesting, June 7, 10 am. Learn all about harvesting Arizona's most precious resource: water! Your Instructor: Chris Whitney.
  
• Growing Fruit in Northern Arizona, June 14, 10 am. Your Instructor: Jackee Alston
  
• The Lazy Gardener's Guide to Seed Saving, June 28, 10 am. Your Instructor: Jackee Alston.

Host or Publisher Warner's Nursery