Standing on her family’s farm in Stokes County, Cheryl Ferguson can see the Sauratown Mountains and two of the range’s iconic landmarks: Hanging Rock and Cook’s Wall.
Cheryl grew up on this land, and her roots here run deep: the 54-acre farm has been in her family for more than 150 years. Her father and his family took in these same views as they worked the land, growing tobacco and raising beef cattle. Cheryl and her husband, Ray, live in the old farmhouse where her father was born. He was the baby of nine siblings.
The farm was designated as a North Carolina Century Farm in 2005.
After her father passed away, Cheryl and Ray, who previously lived in Albuquerque, N.M., moved back and took over the farm in 2009. In an effort to revive the farm, the two began transitioning it away from tobacco and beef and into an organic fruits and vegetables operation.
Today, Plum Granny Farm is almost exclusively a direct-to-consumer operation offering a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as on-site agritourism events, such as pick-your-own days, workshops, tours and more. Their ultimate goal, Cheryl said, is to build community and reestablish connections between people and the farms where their food grows.
“It’s just an astoundingly beautiful piece of land and we want to share that,” Cheryl said.
Plum Granny Farm produces hundreds of different fruits and vegetables, including around 30 different varieties of peppers. The two had spent some time working on an organic farm in New Mexico and became familiar with growing peppers there.
“We brought that love back with us,” Cheryl said.
After some experimenting, the two found their niche with a few varieties of peppers, including Hatch Green Chiles, Aji Amarillo and Jalapenos. Plum Granny Farm also participates in the Cobblestone Farmers Market’s annual Pepper Day, bringing their pepper roaster to roast peppers right there on the spot for patrons to take home. The smell of fresh roasting chile peppers is “intoxicating,” Cheryl said.
Plum Granny Farm hosts a range of events and plant sales throughout the year. It’s part of Cheryl and Ray’s effort to build community and connect consumers with the farmers that grow their food.
“We want to be good stewards of this land and care for it and make it even more than it has been,” Cheryl said. “I’m sure that my grandfather never thought that we would do a pick-your-own and have 40-plus groups of people come pick blackberries on this land.”
They also work to teach the art of gardening with those in the community, through workshops and information sessions.
Plum Granny Farm’s 2025 Spring Plant Sale is slated for March 21-22, and patrons can find hundreds of organic starts for spring vegetables and herbs, such as arugula, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, collards, kale, thyme and many more.
The farm’s summer plant sale is on deck, scheduled for April 17-19. That’s where you’ll find peppers, tomatoes and other warm-weather plants.
The NCDA&CS Century Farm Program honors families that have kept their farms in continuous family ownership for 100 years or more. Currently, about 2,000 farms are in the program. This program recognizes the important contributions these families and farms have made to North Carolina’s rich agricultural heritage.
“Family means a lot to us, and our heritage here means a lot to us,” Cheryl said. “It’s a really, really neat feeling to know that longevity is recognized. And it’s important for Ray and I to kind of carry on that tradition.”
Plum Granny Farm is located at 1041 Flat Shoals Road in King. You can also find them at the Cobblestone Farmers Market in Winston-Salem. To learn more about upcoming events, find them online at plumgrannyfarm.com.