Everything's Peachy in the GoE
Welcome to our sanctuary!
Meet Your Grower
Edlih's Story
I was born to a farming family in the hills of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, where food, animals and land were part of everyday life. I spent my early childhood eating fruit straight from the trees, helping with animals, and roaming the fields freely - growing felt like play then, and it still does.
After leaving the island when my father was relocated overseas, I moved between Germany and the U.S. before settling and starting my family in Arizona. While raising my three boys, I completed my university studies and participated in a summer Study Abroad Program thanks to funding from the Gilman International Studies Scholarship program. There I studied at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and I traveled to Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Now, after years of movement and exploration, I am home. The orchard is where everything I've carried with me has settled - curiosity, patience, and a lifelong relationship with growing things. Here I am focused on preserving and enhancing the biodiversity and health of the land, tending the orchard as a living system, and allowing it to grow slowly, responsibly, and with care.
Discover Our Orchard
The Garden of Eden Orchard is a fruit orchard and pollinator sanctuary in Eden, NC. Our land is home to over 25 peach trees, wildflower corridors, Monarch milkweed plantings, forest restoration, and a chemical-free approach to soil, water, and wildlife stewardship.
We are currently developing a semi-sunken greenhouse, rain-catchment irrigation system, and expanded pollinator habitat. Seedlings, pollinator plants, and educational content coming soon!
The land has a gentle north-to-south slope, which the orchard design uses for gravity-fed irrigation, rainwater distribution, and erosion control. Four birdhouses positioned at the orchard corners provide habitat for insect-controlling birds and contribute to natural pest management.
Adjoining the orchard is a mixed hardwood woodland area where previous owners left buried debris. Ongoing work includes forest cleanup, removal of hazardous material, and restoration of native habitat, improving wildlife shelter and long-term ecological function. The long-term vision is to develop a resilient, sustainable orchard and pollinator sanctuary that provides fruit, habitat, education , and year-round ecological stewardship - while restoring and enhancing previously degraded land.
Contact Us
Ask questions or just say hello!
