Volunteering at the Colton Community Garden

View of Colton Community Garden with the San Francisco Peaks in the background.

By Garold Johnson

The Colton Community Garden is situated on the research side campus of the Museum of Northern Arizona with a fantastic view of the San Francisco Peaks. It is over 100 years old. The museum founders Harold and Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton fostered this garden's development. What makes the garden unique is that it is an outside demonstration site for growing in a high elevation, arid environment.

I started volunteering with watering the plants in the Colton Community Garden in Fall 2019 and will continue to do so. I'm am happy that I am doing more in the garden this spring. Currently, I am involved with the Permaculture Demo Site. Various tasks include pruning, laying compost, eating excess greens, watering, planting plants and trees, developing a prairie dog-proof tile fence, and anything else. 


​In the fall, our class made did the earthworks to prepare the space for spring planting. This involved giving shape to a new garden with rockwork and beginning the process of building soil. We laid wood chips for walking on, put in a cool chair where people can sit and relax and added a beautiful arch to the entrance.



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Fall Perma Blitz October 5, 2019: Installing the earth works with views of the woodchips

Fall Perma Blitz October 5, 2019: More earthworks and a relaxing, wooden chair.

More earthworks and chair.

A swallowtail butterfly exploring the garden! It's awesome to see this pollinator.

My current project has been laying tiles along the fence to make the beds gopher and prairie dog proof. Further, more, there are gopher proof cages that will go around the trees and plants when they arrive.

Starting the mini tile fence!

A work in progress.

Planted some Siberian Pea this last Friday. Used pine needles as mulch. Strawberries were also planted but I failed to get a picture.

All complete! Bring it on gophers, haha!!

The soil is so nice to work with, so healthy! There is always something to do at the Colton Community Garden!

A comfrey plant, a great permaculture plant!

Greens growing in the hoop house. So green!!