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Meet Ken Kogut, Master Gardener Volunteer

With a new cohort of Master Gardener Volunteers finishing their training, we’d like to introduce them (AND YOU!) to the group of MGVs who have sustained this program for the last several years. First off, meet Ken Kogut!

Can you remember the moment you decided to become a gardener, or when you realized you had become one?

I grew up in a gardening family. I have many memories of gardening as a child. I also grew up in a farming extended family and all my relatives were gardeners, so I guess you can say that gardening is in my DNA. My first garden as an adult began after purchasing my first home outside of Saranac Lake in 1983.  My wife thought I was crazy when I presented my primary new home requirement as a place where I could garden. Gardening in Saranac Lake is not easy; I quickly learned that I could get a frost every month of the year! Cool season gardening takes a lot of work and a willingness to really temper your expectations of what you can successfully grow.Ken, enjoying the great outdoors

What benefits do you gain from gardening?

A great question! There are so many positive things I get from gardening. First and foremost is the wonderful food my garden supplies nearly year round. My goal every year is to produce enough food so that we can be (somewhat) self-sufficient. Through canning, freezing, and cold storage of produce, we have now pretty much reached self-sufficiency. It gives my wife and me great pleasure to sit down for a meal and realize that nearly the entire meal has come from our property… But food is just one of many things that my garden contributes. Self-sufficiency, pride, peace of mind, relaxation, escape from the endless news cycle we live in, and the beauty of watching things grow are some of the other benefits my garden provides. Finally, gardening makes me feel in touch with the natural world around me and nature’s annual rhythm.  

Why did you want to become a Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV)?

Being a Master Gardener Volunteer has allowed me to serve the public on a topic that I love to discuss.  Public service was always a part of my career as an employee of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. After my retirement, becoming a volunteer to work with the gardening community was a way for me to give back after an enjoyable 34 year career. Read more Meet Ken Kogut, Master Gardener Volunteer

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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.

Read more Organizing Garden and Yard Storage Areas

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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