How do I grow Chard ? Permaculture Gardening - Spring time with Patrick Whitefield

The "hungry gap" is the period in the spring and early summer when most winter vegetables are finished and the summer ones haven't yet started producing. It's called this because there's typically less fresh produce available to harvest during this time.

Annuals are types of vegetables that you sow and eat within one year or early in the next year. Perennials are plants you establish once and they produce food year after year, reducing the amount of work required compared to annuals.

Perennial vegetables require much less work over time compared to annuals as they don't need to be planted each year. They can provide food during the hungry gap when fewer annuals are available, they often have strong natural resistance to pests like slugs, and can be a source of greens and salad leaves with very little maintenance.

A no-dig garden is one where the soil is not turned or disturbed to maintain its natural structure. This approach allows biological processes to happen undisturbed, leading to better soil health and structure, and can make it easier to harvest certain vegetables like leeks without needing tools.

Swiss chard is a vegetable similar to spinach, with white stocks and dark green leaves. It's a kind of annual, but you can harvest it virtually all year round, from summer through to winter and into early spring before it goes to seed, from just one sowing.

Babbington's leeks are a type of wild, perennial leek. They are smaller than cultivated leeks but have the benefit of being perennial, so they continue to produce year after year without needing to be sown annually.

Yes, many perennials can grow under harsh conditions, such as in the shade, because they can take advantage of times like early spring when the light is unobstructed. This versatility allows perennials to grow in spots where annuals may struggle, especially if those annuals are still in their seed stage at these times.