gmhTODAY 25 gmhTODAY April May 2019 | Page 56

Everything for your lawn and garden… and more Written By Kelly Barbazette Staff Photo Standing (l-r): Debbie Barncord, Raul Diaz, Erin Gil, Robert Santiago Sitting (l-r) Maria Leedeman, Rose Shumard, Pippa Dillman, Kathleen Medeiros , Claudia Anaya 56 GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN april/may 2019 W ith its meandering paths through themed gardens and a gift shop brimming with outdoor accessories, Grass Farm Garden Accents has blossomed into a treasure- trove for gardeners. The store’s motto, “Everything for your lawn and garden, plus more” rings true for this family-owned business that opened in 2002. Debbie Barncord, who runs the busi- ness along with her brother Erin Gil, said it began with their dad’s sod farm, which sells directly to consumers. William Gil started the family’s sod farm in Morgan Hill in April 1969. What began as a 20-acre property now boasts 170 acres. “He loved the farm,” Barncord said. “We grew up in King City. There’s been farmers in the family for a long time. But sod was something completely different than anyone had done in the past.” She recalled her brothers, Erin and Eric, helping to pick up the rocks in the fields. “Planting the seeds was a family adventure,” Barncord said. “My dad had a walk-behind harvester that rolled the sod up and put it on the pallet and then it was delivered to the customer.” Brother Eric went on to launch Socksmith Socks, a company that sells an array of socks through an online store as well as Bay Area retail locations. Debbie and Erin continued to help with the family business. “We went to school and did some gmhtoday.com