I don't "clean up" in spring. I do it all in fall/early winter, then get set for gardening again.
Garden beds are partially seeded, but here's a view of them when I finished topping off with compost: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/your-2024-garden.1604577/page-57#post-27544227 I...
Never occurred to me to try chard raw. I always cook it. And yes chard is far easier to grow than spinach, I've never had issue with it bolting and it'll keep going until freeze hits (at which point it's 50/50 if it survives).
Collards are tougher, like kale with extra chew? I usually grow 1...
My winter garden is 2 kale plants and 1 collard greens lol.
I'll start up seeds again in January, but I'll live with buying vegetables for a few months to give myself a break in the garden. Still finishing up winter prep for the yard - have to trim back the azaleas and ivy, and then cut back...