Free tours of the Museum of Northern Arizona’s Colton Garden.

The Colton Garden provides a space for people of all ages to learn how to grow plants and reconnect with their food. Located on the site of MNA founder Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton’s World War II Victory Garden, the volunteer-run garden showcases locally-adapted heritage and native plants, species that support pollinators and biodiversity, and varied growing techniques.

The garden includes several examples of season extenders, including a hoop house and a passive solar greenhouse built in 1976, when it was the first of its kind on the Colorado Plateau. Portions of the garden are used to experiment with heirloom and native seeds and Indigenous farming methods. The Colton Garden promotes the conservation of important species of pollinators and migratory birds, through its organic growing methods, plant diversity and incorporation of native plants.

The garden is open to the public during daylight hours, with a wheelchair accessible path, benches, views of the San Francisco Peaks, and demonstration beds overflowing with flowers and vegetables.

The garden also hosts regular public education workshops and ongoing collaborations. Check the calendar for upcoming garden events, including workshops on gourd carving and baking in a traditional Pueblo bread oven.