Grillo Services

I get my mulch from Grillos and it’s great, but the topsoil is poor quality. I ordered 2 yard of top soil to level out areas of my lawn and plant grass seed and the soil is so full of rocks and thick sticks I doubt it was actually screened. This project took much longer than it should have because I had screen it myself. I will get my mulch from here again but avoid the top soil at all cost. Photo is after screening one gorilla cart worth of soil.

See post script I must admit; the customer service at Grillo started out fairly good, but it ended up just as bad, if not worse than the “soil” itself. I purchased the “Garden mix” I would call it “Garbage mix” but that would be a complement, if it had garbage in it my plants probably would’ve grown. I had 6 yards of “soil” delivered. I chose the garden mix so I wouldn’t have to work extra mixing in compost and fertilizers and all that. I’m 59 years old I planted over $200 worth of plants on top of the $400 in “soil” or whatever you want to call it A week later, none of my plants had grown. A week after that, they all start turning yellow. At first, I thought it must be too much nitrogen, because they claim it is 50% compost that’s a lot and 50% topsoil. So I tested it, and there was virtually NO NITROGEN AT ALL!!!! Nitrogen is plant food I thought; that’s impossible…with 50% compost. So, I tested it again. Still there was no nitrogen. I thought maybe the test must be bad. So, I tested the compost. The compost nitrogen levels were off the charts, so the test works. I bought a meter which I included a picture of. It’s supposed to be reading around 5 and it’s at one and a half still NO NITROGEN!!! That’s four tests!!! At first customer service started out to be OK ,they offered to sell me some fertilizer I said no, I’m not buying it. So they hand-delivered it to my house the next day!!! Which I thought was very nice and I thanked them. But they gave me a quart, I have 6 yards of soil.roughly 60-70 plants That’s one weeks worth! When I informed them of that and I admittedly got a little “less polite “ That’s when they stopped responding to my emails. So, I guess all I can do is try to warn as many of you as possible. They also deal in firewood and I don’t know this for sure but, I would bet they take the pine they can’t sell as firewood and chip it up into mulch for their “compost”. And just for the record; pine uses up nitrogen plant food as it degrades in soil. So not only did I buy soil with no nitrogen; I bought a nitrogen eating machine!! So, as I add nitrogen the pine is eating it up. Great stuff if you’re trying to kill your plants. POST SCRIPT: Since this review, they Grillo have given me a full refund and actually hand delivered additional fertilizer!!! That has made a big difference on most of the plants in my garden, which oddly enough is kinda aggravating. Everyone Grillo included was blaming me. They all said “You’re watering it too much.” And/or “You’re not watering it enough.” But this just shows it wasn’t me!! It WAS/IS poor soil….because if I keep adding fertilizer; it’s fine. When I stop; the plants start turning yellow again. So it’s not a watering problem. The refund doesn’t change the fact that the “Organic Garden Mix” needed and continues to need a lot of attention. Maybe I expected too much, but I don’t think so. I thought it would more or less be all set. But and I will say this; in a few years it will be some terrific garden soil. I just don’t know if I have a couple of years in this location. But that’s on me. Just thought it would be unfair not to mention the refund and fertilizer. Regards Frank

Price was good and delivery smooth but the cord of firewood I purchased was not properly seasoned and included a lot of pine despite somebody on the phone insisting it’s all hardwood I know pine bark when I see it. Per their phone support I sent an email requesting help but it went unanswered.

First and last time I would buy from this company!!! Poor customer service, rude staff, and horrible and overpriced product. I ordered mulch and wood chips. The mulch would be used for my yard and the chips for a children's playscape. I requested cedar wood chips because they typically last longer and the rep told me it was certified safe for children and "very common". I was told it was a "gold" color. They gave me 2 different mulch orders and never gave me the wood chips I ordered over the phone. When looking at the cedar mulch I found broken plastic parts, used rubber, rocks, cut up car tires, screws, rusted metal sticks looks like a broken dip stick?, weeds, and other trash. The owner called me a liar and tried to state the trash was from my garbage cans which are locked up in a shed to prevent raccoons. I wish I could give less than one star. The owner told me the mulch is safe for kids and to just "cover the mulch up" that has trash with more of their products. He was rude, interrupted me numerous times, and was not listening to my concerns. I told him his product is a hazard and poses risks to children which I was promised safe and certified by the owner and phone rep then the owner called me "irrational" and told me to get wood chips to "cover it up". I refused to make another purchase from their company and I refused to have anymore of their poor and unsafe products at my home. The owner refused to give a refund and refused to pick up the contaminated mulch. This is not safe for kids and I will be reporting this to the state and BBB. my guess is they used a dumpster mixed with mulch to drop the mulch off, which again I never ordered because I wanted wood chips!!!! P.S. I requested they do not place the mulch against my fence and they did. They also mixed both orders together which is why I paid 2 different delivery charges to prevent and they stated I had no other option but to pay for 2 deliveries. The owner is the liar! My driveway was clean, I ordered wood chips not mulch, and they made no effort to correct the situation and insulted me. Poor quality and poor customer service normally puts companies out of business so i advise they make major corrections, starting with preventing the owner to speak to customers with such disrespect. and if it was my trash in the mulch which is what Grillo Claimed, please explain to me why anyone would have cut up tire chunks in their driveway? They probably did not clean the trucks in between delivery or some dumpster trash was mixed in again my guess/opinion. truth is the absolute defense, i do not need to lie and do not benefit from lies.

Among the poor reviews, here's a good one. Had a few yards of topsoil delivered to build a berm. Came on time, delivered as promised, courteous driver.

Grillo's has donated a huge amount of mulch and soil to Bridgeport Mutual Aid that we've used to build vegetable gardens in people's yards in Bridgeport. The owner was extremely responsive--on the same morning I asked he dropped off two truckloads of materials before noon. They also donated to us last year. It makes a huge difference--our project couldn't run without soil. Thank you so much!!!!

GARDEN MIX? More like gravel mix. Veggies can't grow in rocks. Most are under 1" barely, but not all, but there are way too many of them. The soil compacts, crusts over, makes deep cracks, and the seedlings are stunted and have stopped growing. There is no way to thin anything out as they are encased in a concrete-like death-trap. The soil is dusty and gray, like there is no organic matter in it at all. In short, it is sub-standard and dead soil, and I question whether it is even safe to grow edibles in. We bought a ton of this stuff, for 3 new raised beds and now I will have to hand screen and amend for years. This year's growing season is shot. Pictures speak for themselves. And if you look at his outrageous responses to other reviews you will get a hint at the way customers are treated. I'm sorry I didn't check reviews first.

I’ve bought hundreds of yards of mulch and soil from Grillo over the past 5 years and I couldn’t be happier with the amazing customer service combined with the lowest prices I’ve found. Usually low price comes with a risk, that’s not the case with Grillo. Free next day delivery, and knowledgeable, and skilled drivers who always place the product exactly where I ask. I’ll never buy from anyone other than Grillo. I highly recommend.

Everything I’ve ever bought from Grillo has showed up on time and of the highest quality. I bought a truckload of topsoil from someone else for $10 less a yard and quickly found out why. It was absolute trash. Grillo has the best and provides a real VALUE. Just for reference, I am a member and President of my local garden club and I spent a good amount of time playing in the dirt.

I ordered garden soil. Great customer service, I got help figuring out how much soil I needed to order. The soil is rich and lovely.