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Organizing Garden and Yard Storage Areas

This is an ideal time to evaluate your outdoor storage areas and make a plan to reorganize them. Use the following steps as a guide, but avoid moving anything until you have a detailed plan and the materials to complete your project.

Plan your attack

  • Make a rough sketch of your yard including all storage and garden areas. Think about tools that you’ve left in odd places. Do you need some sort of permanent storage there? If so, add it to the sketch.
  • Look inside each storage area and list the categories of tools and supplies stored there, such as hand tools, power tools, potting supplies, soil amendments, watering equipment. Don’t touch anything yet.
  • For each garden area, note the tools and supplies you use there. Then decide which storage area is best for which tools, considering where they will be used and whether the storage area will accommodate the tools. List the tools on your rough map, checking against your original list of categories to make sure you are providing space for each item.

    Handtools hanging neatly in garden shed
    Hanging hand tools saves space and offers convenience
  • Consider the tools against the storage space, if one already exists. If not, think through the process and make some notes so that you acquire storage that meets your needs. Stand in front of each storage area and look at it from all sides. What will you put where? Which things need to be within easy reach? Which items will be used at the same time? Do you need to strengthen the storage area against wildlife or weather? Make a repair? Do you need to add shelves? Wall hooks? Bungee cords or Velcro ties for bundling hoses? Jot down a “Needs” list for your storage space. Do this for all the storage areas on your map.
  • Think about your resources and set limits, if needed. Do you have the time, money and supplies to complete your project? Which storage areas are your priority? Decide which areas you will and will not organize at this time.

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Cranberries in the North Country

One of my favorite things about fall is the beautiful seasonal color. Of course, I am talking about the glowing ruby reds of… cranberries! One of the last fruits of the year to ripen, these native, low-growing berries are a staple of holiday feasts, but they have application far beyond turkey condiments. Cranberries are high in fiber and vitamin C, as well as anthocyanin – that’s what gives them their vibrant color; it is also a powerful antioxidant. Naturally low in sugar, cranberries are often prepared with additional sweeteners – but they don’t have to be!

We are incredibly lucky to have one of just two cranberry farms in New York State right here in the North Country, at Deer River Cranberries of Brasher Falls. When I first tasted these berries – available fresh and frozen from many local retailers, as well as direct from the farm – I was amazed by how different the flavor was compared to supermarket ‘fresh’ berries. In fact, they are so tasty that my family and I like to snack on them raw, without any added sugar.

cranberry harvest
Autumn harvest at Deer River Cranberries in Brasher Falls. Photo courtesy of Sasha Kocho-Williams.

But, if you do want to prepare something with them, you will be spoiled for choice. From a simple cooked cranberry sauce (whole-berry, crushed, or strained style) that can be water-bath canned for long-term, shelf-stable storage, to fresh relishes, juicing, and baked goods, cranberries are as versatile as they are beautiful.

Scoop of cranberries
Deer River cranberries wholesales most of their berries, but they are also available for sale by the pound onsite during October harvest. Photo courtesy of Cornell Cooperative Extension.

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Germinating a new crop of Master Gardener Volunteers

In mid September, a group of 10 people set out on a journey to become Master Gardener Volunteers (MGV). Upon completion, this extraordinary group will represent CCE in the community and use their gardening knowledge and resources to help residents thrive.

The MGV training can be executed in many ways and this year’s training is a hybrid course, with outside readings, videos, and homework as well as weekly in-person sessions where trainees dive deeper into one or two topics with an expert. The training continues through November, and will culminate with each person presenting an Action Project, which will address a need in their community.

To bring the wide world of tending plants to life in the classroom, we’ve enlisted the knowledge and expertise of people from across New York State. We’ve been grateful to welcome local guest speakers like Carlene Doane, Executive Director of GardenShare, a non profit that tackles food insecurity in our county. We also learned from Dr. Aswini Pai, an ecologist and ethnobotanist at St. Lawrence University, who shared her knowledge about plant biology for gardeners, including what plants need and what processes occur within them. Read more Germinating a new crop of Master Gardener Volunteers