Two of the beds near the parking lot will be demonstration vegetable gardens. "They are the perfect size for rowhouse vegetable gardens, and we'll plant the kinds of things that can produce enough food for a family of four," said Treadwell-Palmer.
The Cylburn volunteers hope to be there at lunchtime during the week to answer questions from visitors about growing their own vegetables.
In the beds around the flagpoles, gardeners will plant edible ornamentals: red mustard greens, red kale and leeks.
There will be rhubarb and cucumbers, acorn squash, cabbage, lettuce, peppers and zinnias for cutting along the fence that overlooks War Memorial Plaza (which will not be planted with vegetables because it is the site for summer festivals).
Perhaps the most charming aspect of Treadwell-Palmer's plan is for the four classic potage gardens. The raised planters will be filled with an "X" of herbs, including Italian parsley, sage, lavender and rosemary.
The four quadrants that the herbs create will be filled with kohlrabi, beets, celery, radishes, carrots, onions, eggplant and zucchini.
The farthest beds, across Gay Street from the War Memorial Building, will have elaborate bamboo trellises for cherry tomatoes, and stripes of red and green lettuce, to be replaced with summer crops of okra, collard greens and sweet corn, and with sweet potatoes tucked underneath.
The master gardeners from Cylburn gave Treadwell-Palmer a wish list of vegetables, and she used the design skills she learned at the University of Delaware to create a showpiece for the city.
"They had to show me that they could do this in a way that would benefit the city," said Dixon, who gave her blessing after she received assurances that the gardens would be maintained in a way to discourage rodents - and that her beloved tulips would remain.
"We will be planting the cool-weather crops in between the tulips," said Vondrasek. "About the time the tulips are done, we will be harvesting the lettuces and putting in the summer crops."
Will Dixon, who described herself as a "gardener-in-learning," be out in the plots, rake and pruners in hand? "Possibly," she said.
