Gardening a badge of honor for Scouts

Sprouts and gardens go hand and hand. Rarely do they include neckerchiefs. Or badges.

Grayslake is breaking new ground, though, by throwing Scouts in the mix with its vegetable-growing efforts.

That's where the Cub Sprouts, an offshoot of Cub Scout Pack 451, are making a dent in the fight against hunger.Scouts and other children from 55 families associated with the pack planted two garden plots in the village's community garden with intentions of donating all produce to two area food pantries.

Last year, with just a single plot, they harvested 300 pounds of food. Who knows how much they'll gather from their 20-by-40-foot parcel this season?

With 32 tomato plants as a starting point, they're sure to collect at least as much as in their first attempt, said Scott Prentice, a Scout's father and a member of the Grayslake Greenery Garden Club.

The adults tried to design a garden with a good balance of plants the children themselves liked to eat so they'd be interested, while also introducing things they'd never seen before. The lineup includes potatoes, kale, beans, collard greens, squash, turnips, radishes, onions, zucchini, cucumbers, beets, melons and peppers.

Riley Narsell, 10, took care of putting those potato plants into the ground. And he's watered them ever since to make sure they'll provide someone a good meal.

His favorite part of the project so far?

"Giving it to the people that don't have food," the Round Lake boy said.

With the garden's produce, "they can eat so they won't be hungry as much," he continued.

Vegetables are delivered to two sites: the Avon Township Food Pantry in Round Lake Park and the newly formed PLAN Food Pantry in Grayslake.

Their efforts are part of the Daily Herald's Giving Garden program that encourages gardeners to plant a little extra, then deliver it to locations where it can help less fortunate neighbors.

Parent Colleen Johnson said that even though the children are in elementary school, they still understand the importance of the task.

"They really put their heart and soul into this little garden," the Lake Villa woman said. "The only problem they have is they do need help carrying the big buckets."