My late grandma had a green thumb. She did not bestow this gift to me, but I’ve been stubbornly trying to acquire it myself. I recently potted an assortment of herbs I bought from my local farmer’s market: mint, thyme, basil, rosemary and chives. And I’m trying hard to get my little cilantro stem to propagate.
While my home operation is tiny, Fayetteville is filled with actually impressive community gardens, produce farms and more if you are also hoping to work on your gardening skills. Or you can simply read about them while indoors in our May “Home & Garden” magazine, where we highlight our community’s passion for community gardening, rural farming and creating a sense of home.
After years in the corporate world, Master Gardener Sarah Faison moved to Fayetteville and returned to her family’s ancestral land in Lee County, creating a community garden to heal, grow and gather. Ida Community Garden, named after Faison’s mother, has helped her discover the meaning of home.
From college football player to owner of the farm-to-table barbeque operation Smoked Fresh, Travis Melvin has pivoted once again, running his own produce farm from his family’s Fayetteville land. Melvin is developing his version of generational wealth: a self-sustaining farm, local produce for the community and a legacy his daughters will be proud of.
A Fayetteville community garden run through local nonprofit Er’Body Eatz is fighting back against food insecurity and injustice. Founder J’Kwan Fulmore is rallying the community in the hopes of creating a homestead on the Cliffdale Community Church grounds where people can grow their own nutritious, fresh food.
In north Cumberland County, beekeeper and veteran James Hartman was named the 2024 North Carolina Small Farmer of the Year, alongside a Warren County farmer. His operation Secret Garden Bees in Linden was born as a method to manage his PTSD.
And finally, Cape Fear Regional Theatre held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 7, where they will be building the theater’s new home.
Our columnists this month express their connection to home and gardens: the first highlights Mother’s Day on May 11 by celebrating strong mothers in movies; the next discusses her brown thumb despite her family’s green thumbs; the third explains creating a sense of home through routines; and the last recommends seven mystery books set in a house or garden.
Don’t miss this month’s To-Do List to fill up your calendar with activities! And were you at CityView’s Ladies’ Night Out, presented by Cape Fear Valley Health, on April 10? You might just be in this month’s magazine on page 46.
Regardless of whether you prefer to get your hands in the ground or stay in an air-conditioned house this May, this “Home & Garden” magazine has something for you.
Thank you for reading!
Read CityView Magazine’s “Home & Garden” May 2025 e-edition here.
