For one Pelham Bay resident, planting and growing a fully-stocked backyard garden has become a labor of love.

Joe Bianchi has grown fruits, fresh vegetables, herbs and spices from April to October every year for the past 18 years.

Neighbors and passersby can find everything from giant squash to red grapes there. The fresh fruits and vegetables line his property from above his driveway to the backyard.

Bianchi says he spends two to three hours a day working on the garden during the season. He says gardening has become his favorite pastime since his retirement. He welcomes the work, saying the food he grows is healthier than the produce from the supermarkets, and is more tasty.

Bianchi says visitors should expect to take a full bag of vegetables home with them.