Photo: Billy Dohrmann
Oak Park’s culinary garden isn’t just for show. It’s a real working plot that supplies the restaurant. When the kitchen team harvested the first crop in 2024, operations director Billy Dohrmann told dsm, “The beautiful thing about the garden right outside the kitchen door is that you pick and use items on the same day.” That perk boosts flavor and cuts down on waste.
To start your own kitchen garden, focus on produce you use often — and that delivers the biggest flavor payoff when it’s freshly picked. Herbs like basil, parsley and cilantro are great starts and can even be grown on a sunny windowsill if you don’t have a lot of outdoor space.
If you do, try planting a mix of quick-harvest leafy greens like arugula and spinach alongside longer-growing staples like eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. This variety ensures you’re pulling something fresh from the garden throughout the season, instead of all at once.
Another tip from Dohrmann: Lean on local growers who understand how Central Iowa soil and weather really behave. “A seed packet will give you some good information,” he said, “but someone who has had experience growing in the area knows more about how that seed truly reacts with the local soil, weather conditions and watering frequencies.
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