Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Chive Plants
Planting
Chives grow best in full sun, though they will tolerate light shade. Ideally, the soil should be moist, fertile, and well-draining. Before planting, incorporate 4 to 6 inches of well-composted organic matter. Work compost into the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. (Read more about soil amendments and preparing the soil for planting.)
When to Plant Chives
- Chives are considered a cool-season crop, meaning they grow best in the spring and fall. The harsher temperatures of summer usually cause them to go dormant until cool weather arrives again.
- For a head start in colder regions, start chive seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost. (See local frost dates.) Transplants need good growth before being set in the garden.
- Outdoors, sow seeds as soon as the soil is workable in the spring. They can take a few weeks to germinate, so don’t panic! For the best germination and growth, the temperature of the soil should be between 60º and 70ºF (15º and 21ºC).
- Plant transplants outdoors once the threat of frost has passed.
How to Plant Chives
- Sow seeds about 2 inches apart and no more than ¼ inch deep. Cover with a thin layer of soil.
- Once seedlings emerge, thin them so that plants are spaced between 4 to 6 inches apart in all directions.
The two species of chives commonly grown in home gardens are common chives (Allium schoenoprasum) and garlic chives (A. tuberosum):
- Common chives consist of clumps of small, slender bulbs that produce thin, tubular, blue-green leaves reaching 10-15 inches in height. The edible, flavorful flowers may be white, pink, purple, or red, depending on the variety. They can be grown in Zones 3 to 9.
- Garlic chives (also called Chinese chives) look similar to common chives, but their leaves are flatter, greener, and get to be about 20 inches in height. As their name suggests, their leaves have a mild garlic flavor (bulbs are more intense). Flowers are white, and are larger and less densely clustered than those of common chives. Garlic chives are not quite as cold-hardy as common chives, so they are recommended for Zones 4 to 9.
Harvesting
How to Harvest Chives
- Begin harvesting chive leaves about 30 days after you transplant or 60 days after seeding.
- Be sure to cut the leaves down to the base when harvesting (within 1 to 2 inches of the soil).
- Harvest 3 to 4 times during the first year. In subsequent years, cut plants back monthly.
- The chive plant will flower in late spring or early summer. The flowers are edible and taste best just after they have opened—they should look full and bright.
How to Store Chives
- Use chives when they’re fresh or frozen (freeze the leaves in an airtight bag). Dried chives lose their flavor.
- Store chives in a cool place in a resealable container.
Recipes
Catherine Boeckmann
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Chives are one of the most useful herbs I grow. You can use literally any part of the plant in cooking and they taste good in just about any sort of savory dish. They don't overwhelm the flavor of dishes either and can be added liberally. Better yet, when you harvest them they grow back and are ready for another harvest in like a week with well-established plants. They basically grow like grass. Just cut them back to like and inch or two from the soil and they'll pop back up again in a week or two. They grow pretty slowly at first and take awhile to get established from seed, but once established they're perennial and will just keep producing more chives indefinitely if you keep them warm. They grow well on a kitchen windowsill too so I usually plant them in containers and bring them in during winter so I keep having chives all year long.
I planted chive seeds in a pot on Aug 8. They were up by Aug 19. Very high germination rate. But now it’s Oct 2 and they are still very small., maybe 2-3” very thin and mostly lying flat or bending over. It’s been almost 2 months since I planted them. Shouldn’t they be bigger by now? Shouldn’t they at least be standing up? How long til they actually look like chives?
I'm trying to grow chives hydroponically in hopes of growing some chive blossoms. Is there any way to induce the chive blossoming? Any general tips to get blossoms fast?
I just moved my little chives from the starter tray into a larger pot but now they are looking a bit spindly and the ends are browning even though they are only a few inches tall. How can bring them back to life?
Any time you transplant a plant it goes into a period of shock. It needs to re-set its roots and settle in. Sometimes you can minimize this adjustment period by moving a plant with a large clump of soil around its roots. Now just give it time. It’s a perennial, so it should get over this and come back nicely.
Hello, I live in Seattle Washington.
My Chives are blooming now in April. I've been wanting to divide and replant some into a different bed, but I can't figure out when to do it? Can I do it now, End of April, as I'm setting up all my new beds with transplants for the season? Or do I need to do it during a dormant phase? And in my climate - when would that be? This plant has been in my garden now 3 years - this will be it's 4th season and it' 4 times the size it was. It is the earliest to come up and the last plant to die out each year. I've got it in my strawberry bed - so once or twice each year I chop some of it up and distribute to keep pests at bay in the berries - totally works well as a companion plant!
This is my first time planting chives from seed. They are coming up beautifully, but I've noticed that they seem to be growing like ingrown hairs, all bent over in half. One of them has pulled its own seed out of the soil. I haven't found anything online about this, so I don't know if this is normal or if something needs to be done. Should I try to replant the seed? Snip it off? Just leave it alone? Please advise.
It’s normal! Just leave them to grow :)
Since the chive flowers are edible, ARE THE SEEDS EDIBLE?
Im interested to know how to cultivate chives in India specifically Karnataka, Raichur district and some information about export of this chives
