Harsh summer testing veteran gardener

With six children, 14 grandchildren and a whole lot of neighbors, Floyd Lundeen is well acquainted with the concept of sharing his garden's bounty.

For decades, the Elk Grove Village gardener gave to friends and family whatever he and his wife could not cook, can or freeze.

Then he discovered that the food pantry at Elk Grove Township started accepting garden vegetables as part of a national program to help the hungry. That effort, now the Daily Herald's new Giving Garden campaign, encourage gardeners to grow a little extra and donate the surplus to area food pantries and soup kitchens.

Lundeen has been a regular donor for the past six years.

If he has a few too many squash - always an occupational gardening hazard - off he goes to the township pantry. When his entire grape crop comes in, he delivers the whole batch to pantry clients.

Lundeen now makes it a point to grow enough to share.

"A man gets smarter over the years, and he gets a better crop," he said.

This year is testing all of his time-proven experience - and his knowledge as a master gardener with the University of Illinois Extension Service. It's not just the ongoing drought that's wreaking havoc with his plants. It's the perpetual high heat and sunny skies, as well.

"With too much sunshine, you get a lot of leafy stuff but not so much fruit," Lundeen said.

He's counteracting that with moderate doses of fertilizer. In normal years, he delivers a good dose of Miracle-Gro about every 10 days, but that would burn the stressed-out plants this year so he's scaled it back to once every three weeks.

Lundeen heavily mulches his garden, which is about 18 by 35 feet long, once in the spring to help it retain moisture throughout the summer. By putting a layer of wood chips, or fully composted manure, on top of the dirt, he can help prevent water evaporation.

He then makes sure the garden gets at least 1 inch of water each week. Still, the plants need a little more help.

"I'm hoping the Lord, in his infinite wisdom, will bring us some rain," Lundeen said.

In the main bed, he put in 22 tomato plants, several types of squash, a Jerusalem artichoke and some peppers. But he makes good use of five container gardens, as well, that house lettuce, two types of eggplant, parsley and more peppers.

"We get a pretty good crop out of just a half-whiskey barrel," Lundeen said.

That's a good thing, because the Elk Grove Township food pantry is counting on his success.