Root Camp 2026: A Gardening 101 Series

Root Camp is a series of expert-led classes to empower YOU to create the garden of your dreams. Perfect for beginners, but all are welcome!

Join us for a fun and educational gardening education series starting on Saturday, February 28th 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 seed starting 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!
Here are this year's classes:

• Crop & Garden Planning, February 28th, 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.
• Seed Starting, March 7th, 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.
• Pruning, March 14th, 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.
• Composting, March 28th, 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.
• Season Extending, April 18th, 10 am. Flagstaff has a notoriously short growing season, but there are ways to protect plants from late spring/early fall frosts and manage intense temperature swings. Your Instructor: Jackee Alston has been gardening in Flagstaff since 2005, is a Coconino Master Gardener, and founded the Grow Flagstaff! Seed Library.
• Common Tree Pest & Fungus Management. May 2nd, 10 am. Yout Instructor: Owen Kahler.
• Rainwater Harvesting, May 9th, 10 am. Learn all about harvesting Arizona's most precious resource: water! Your Instructor: Chris Whitney.
• Container and Raised Beds Gardening, May 16th, 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.
• Plants and Pollinators, May 23rd, 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.

• Vegetable Gardening in Flagstaff, May 30th, 10 am. Celebrate the summer with our in-house expert Daisy Nguyen, who will share tips and tricks for growing vegetables. This informative class will help you increase your success this season by covering such topics as the differences between warm and cool season crops, planting tips, irrigation, fruit production and frost protection.
• Pollinating Fruit Trees in Northern Arizona, June 13th, 10 am. Learn about the best pollinating fruit trees to grow in our higher elevation environment. Your Instructor: Rowan Brandenberg, a Flagstaff native, has worked with trees and shrubs at Warner’s for several 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.
• Seed Saving, June 20th, 10 am. Join us for a session designed to take the mystery out of harvesting your own seeds. Learn to identify the easiest flowers and vegetables to save, proper techniques for harvesting, as well as how to store your seeds to ensure high germination rates next spring. Your Instructor: Jackee Alston.

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Host or Publisher Warner's Nursery