About the gardens
A botanical garden in which every plant is edible, around an 1886 gristmill and a lake.
The place
The gardens were founded in 2020 on the Pecan Lake property in Queen Creek, Arizona. The idea was a botanical garden in which everything planted is edible: fruits, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers, each chosen for how it looks as well as for what it gives.
The themed demonstration gardens are joined by pathways that run along the lake, past the mill and up the hillside, so a visit is one continuous walk.
The mill
The gristmill and the waterwheel
The millhouse holds a restored 1886 stone gristmill. Its second-story millworks are powered entirely by the waterwheel and include an industrial-era pecan cracker and shelling machine, able to crack and shell pecans from the groves next to the property. The gristmill museum loft is included with admission.
The lake
Pecan Lake
Pecan Lake is a regenerative aquaponic system. The fish that live in it, catfish, black crappie, bluegill and largemouth bass, enrich the water, which is filtered and piped out to irrigate the gardens. The lake is open for catch-and-release fishing and for canoes, and its shores and waterfalls draw herons, egrets, kingfishers and other birds.
Today
Pecan Lake Gardens is part of Pecan Lake Entertainment, which runs the wider Pecan Lake property.
Come and see it
The gardens, the mill and the lake are all included with general admission.
Plan your visit