All photos of the Grillo veggie garden by Lynn Grillo
2015: The Beds
In 2015, we added a patio to the back of our house which is partly seen in the photo showing the sunroom windows. At that time, my husband Joe thought it would be nice to also add a veggie garden, so four raised beds were built and placed at the southeast corner of the house. Gravel was added around the beds and Joe made a lovely design with some pavers.
2016: Half Height Fence
Joe took on the gardening and to his dismay found that much of what he was growing was being gobbled up by critters—namely, deer, rabbits, voles, and squirrels. He attempted to remediate by installing some plastic netting around the beds. However, this did not deter the critters—the rabbits chewed through it, the deer stepped over it, and the voles dug under it! —and the height made it difficult to tend to the beds. After a few years of this continual battle, Joe's enthusiasm for gardening began to wear thin.
Spring 2020: Fence & Gate
Fast forward to 2020. I had retired and thought I might try my hand at gardening since Joe was losing interest. The first thing I felt we needed was an actual full-height deer fence. We priced having it built, but after sticker shock, Joe decided to construct it himself. I found a photo online of a garden fence with a gate that I liked, and he replicated it perfectly. He also installed chicken wire around the lower half that extends down into the ground about a foot to deter the diggers. Since we were all isolating for COVID we drafted our son to assist with the project. They did the job in record time.
2020 Potting Table
Also that year, Joe gifted me a potting table. Here he is adding a protective coating to it.
Fall 2020: Trellises & Walkway
With the new fence successfully keeping most of the critters at bay, I began to learn about different growing methods, I decided I would like to try growing vegetables vertically the next season, so in the fall, I asked our landscaper to erect trellises over the tops of two of the beds. There's cattle panel across the tops allowing for twine to be connected at any point.
We also cleared much of the pachysandra from the space between the garden fence and the house, and put down a gravel walkway. This made it easier to maintain the plants in the stone planter along the sunroom windows.
Spring 2021: Bench & Grow Bags
Another gift from Joe is this wooden bench. It is my favorite spot in the garden. I sit out there nearly every day. Five 20-gallon grow bags also found a home in the garden.
A Night View
The patio, pathway and veggie garden on a summer's eve.
Summer 2021: Growing Vertically
Trellises make growing vertically a snap and allow for more plants in less space. Cucumbers, tomatoes, peas, squash, and string beans all work well on trellises. I also invested in a sturdy step-ladder to be able to tend to the tops of the plants safely.
Spring 2022: 3rd Trellis, 5th bed, Drip Irrigation
Given my fondness for growing vertically, the following year a 3rd trellis was added and an additional small raised bed was built. Drip irrigation with automatic timers was installed throughout the veggie garden. Adding drip lines was challenging for first-timers (pun intended), but well worth it for the time and effort saved throughout the growing season!
Spring 2023: Standing Bed, Stone Threshold
In 2023, a standing raised bed for herbs was placed in the walkway by the sunroom, and a beautiful piece of bluestone was located at the threshold of the garden gate as a welcome to (human) visitors.
2024: Shade Cloth, Pots, 2nd Tall Bed
In 2024, given the high heat and prolonged drought, the entire garden was draped with 40% shade cloth to protect the plants, and keep them (and ME!) cooler. This was such a success I will be doing it every summer from now on. A second tall raised bed was placed next to the first one for strawberries and herbs. Two blue pots with blueberry shrubs now flank the entrance to the garden.
Summer 2024
Summer 2025
Added a trellis to the entryway.
The Results!
So what has all of this effort yielded? Here are a few photos showing some of the harvests. If you've never bitten into a freshly picked tomato, you don't know what you're missing!
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Credits:
All photos and content by Lynn Grillo