Hungry gap

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In cultivation of vegetables in a temperate oceanic climate, the hungry gap is the period in spring when there is little or no fresh produce available from a vegetable garden or allotment. [1] It usually starts when overwintered brassica vegetables such as brussels sprouts and winter cauliflowers and January King cabbages "bolt" (i.e. run up to flower) as the days get warmer and longer, but sooner if a very hard frost kills these crops; and ends when the new season's first broad beans are ready.

Means to bridge the gap [2] or part of it include:

Other meanings

One variety of kale is called "Hungry Gap" because it crops during this period: see cultivars of kale. It was introduced to UK agriculture in 1941.

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