Darryl and Linda Taylor with three of their eleven grandchildren.

Darryl and I bought the land in Leland in 2003, when he was a Line Supervisor at BEMC’s Southport/Oak Island office, and I worked at the New Hanover County Sheriff’s office. We wanted to develop something our children and grandchildren could carry on into the future. Darryl’s coworker, Glenn Owens, had a blueberry farm, and got us started.

We planted a thousand blueberry bushes, little sticks with a root mass, by hand. We had friends help us, but even so it took three weeks. When they started budding out, we’d go up and down the rows and rub off the little blossoms to build up the root mass. We kept doing that and didn’t let them produce until the fourth year. Then, it was time to open to the public.

Once our Facebook page was up and going, things took off, and now we have more than 5,000 followers. We have lots of repeat customers. Our blueberries are so good, so sweet, because we have six hives of honeybees that pollinate them. We don’t use pesticides because of the bees. Once the berries turn blue, I keep testing them until they’re exactly ripe. Some places will let you pick as soon as they turn blue, but they’re not quite ready yet, and a little sour. We wait until they’re sweet and delicious. You can pick your own, or we’ll always have some ready for sale.

Our bees make sure we have a plentiful garden too, and often we’ll let people pick their own vegetables. We have chickens running around, and kids love petting the horse, donkey and pony. Our pond has ducks and geese and large Smallmouth Bass. It’s very laid back; some people just come to relax and enjoy the scenery.

We have an air-conditioned barn that accommodates up to 40 that people rent for birthday parties and other special events. Some people just enjoy the barn after picking blueberries. I make blueberry cider and muscadine cider slushies, and we’ll just sit down and talk.

When you come here, we want you to feel like it’s your farm. I love meeting everyone, and it’s great to have everyone feeling at home and comfortable. After all, although we’re just 10 minutes from the city, we’re definitely in the country.