Closing The Hungry Gap

Clever planting and canny storage will ensure a steady supply of fresh veg in spring’s leaner months. Sally Nex shows you how

- Sally Nex

Take five minutes out from top-and-tailing beans and cooking down tomatoes for the freezer to pat yourself on the back – it’s so satisfying to know that all the super-fresh and flavorsome food you’re piling on your family’s plates is there because you grew it yourself. But we’re not done yet. This month I share the ways I future-proof my plot so that my garden continues to feed my family almost as generously in the offseason. It’s all systems go to plug the notorious hungry gap next spring.

Why plant veg now?

Concentrate on cramming your plot with spring goodies now and you’ll scarcely notice the post-winter slump. It’s still warm enough to refill emptying beds with hardy, direct-sown leafy veg, salads and annual herbs, timed to be edible from early spring, plus overwintering veg for an earlier harvest. If you’re short of larger hungry gap crops, cheat and buy plug plants – no one will know the difference!

Bridging the hungry gap

There comes a time, usually in the dog days of February, when you’ve pulled your last parsnip, your stores are running low and yet it’s months until the first summer harvests. This is the hungry gap, when you’re frantically busy sowing and planting, yet none of your crops are ready to pick.

You could just go to the supermarket, but that’s to admit defeat. Besides, I’ve come to love the rhythm of the seasons, and the spring slow-down just heightens the sense of anticipation – in our house, the first strawberries of summer are a headline event.