There's a hidden gem in Queen Creek - the Queen Creek Botanical Gardens - a fully functional, edible landscape.
Unlike a public park, this 10-acre botanical garden is a concentration of exquisitely maintained natural beauty with a 2.5-acre lake that serves as an irrigation system to surrounding homes and businesses. Themed demonstration gardens - English, French, Japanese and more - are designed to show how to create similar landscapes in your own yard.
Queen Creek Botanical Gardens is a non-profit organization that inspires and educates about elegant edible plants, showing the future of sustainable food production in landscaping. Unique among botanical gardens, all of the plants are edible.
"Fruits, vegetables, herbs or edible flowers have been individually selected for their aesthetic style and elegance," said Jennifer Solomon, director of agritainment for the Queen Creek Botanicial Gardens. "Justin trains the consumer on what they can consume from the earth. It's okay to eat dirt and I think it's important to know what's going into your food. Justin's taken the chef out of the kitchen and is teaching Queen Creek about eating, growing...there's so much to learn here."
Justin Rohner, executive director of the Queen Creek Botanical Gardens, said he broke ground on the gardens in 2018 and in 2019 he started planting trees and getting the lake ready. "It's been several years to process and develop, but everything on this land is all edible. My kids call it the healthy Sour Patch Kids. It's as easy as food should be and we know where it came from and there's no pesticides."
He has always had a green thumb and an interest in gardens.
"My mom says I've been in the family garden since I was 2 years old and worked on our family farm in Tempe," said Rohner, who grew up in Chandler. "In 2001, I really started trying to grow food within a landscape. I did my own research on how to grow food at my own house and learned a lot more on how to make everything edible, from irrigation technology to be able to grow food and I studied the sun, just learned from trial and error. Traditional agriculture has nothing on this type of data."
Jesse Johnson, director of marketing for the Queen Creek Botanical Gardens, started working with Rohner a year ago and has been volunteering ever since, handling marketing efforts. "I'm here to bring overall awareness," he said, adding that they have close to 500 members who support their efforts.
"Some of those are family memberships with multiple people and it gives them access to the gardens and discounts on products, events and rental space," Solomon added. "Membership covers a lot of classes where Justin helps people grow their own food and become healthier, which has become popular since COVID."
The gardens features the only fully-operational industrial-age water mill in the American Southwest. Rohner said the gristmill "is one of only three active water wheels west of the Mississippi River," with the other two located in Oregon and Washington.
The gardens provide a place to escape, enjoy the beauty of nature and learn more about food security through community resources. Future developments at the gardens include a reception center and state-of-the-art conservatory with an education center and expanded exhibits. They currently host monthly farm to table dining events, the next being from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19. These dining adventures showcase the fresh bounty of the gardens, highlighting the finest seasonal ingredients prepared by their local exquisite chefs, who bring an array of innovative culinary creations to the five-course food tour. They pair the food with wine or mocktails for the finest dining experience.
"It's nice because everyone gets to interact with the chef and we have a forever changing menu," Rohner said. "This is a community place, we welcome everyone, but only 17 percent of the people around (Queen Creek) know we exist."
The gardens are surrounded by more than 3,000 pecan trees and Rohner said residents in the nearby neighborhood must maintain 30 percent of them.
Normal hours Tuesday through Saturday vary based on the time of year - from 6-11 a.m. in the summer to 9 a.m.-4 p.m. other times of the year, with extended hours for special events. They are closed Sundays and Mondays. Third Thursdays are free and regular admission is $14 for adults and $7 for children. Canoe rentals on the lake are $5 per person.
The Queen Creek Botanical Gardens is gearing up for its inaugural Fall Harvest Festival, which kicks off tomorrow, Oct. 28.
Fall Harvest Festival schedule is:
- Thursday, Oct. 28, 4 to 9 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 29, 4 to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 30, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Tickets:
- Adults, $13 online/$15 at the door.
- Children, $8 online/$10 at the door.
- Children 2 and under are free.
Get tickets online at www.qcgardens.org.
"Join us for fall family fun, we'll have bounce houses, slides, canoe rentals, food trucks, farmers market, artisans and vendors, petting zoo, hayrides, carnival and lawn games, catch and release fishing competition and more," Solomon said.
She added that they rely on volunteers and donations. Most recently, many have been buying personalized tiles at the gristmill.
"We're always looking for donations to help offset operation costs, whether it's wanting your name on a tile, bench, memorial garden or rose bush," Solomon said.
They also offer produce subscription boxes full of fruits, vegetables, edible flowers and other food produced at the gardens.
The Queen Creek Botanical Gardens is located at 25002 S. 206th St., off Riggs Road, just east of Horseshoe Park & Equestrian Centre, west of Ellsworth Road.
For more information, visit www.qcgardens.org or call 480-704-4100.
