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How to Grow Chives: The Complete Guide

Photo Credit
Pixabay
Botanical Name
Allium schoenoprasum, A. tuberosum
Plant Type
Herb
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Flower Color
Pink
Purple
Red
White
Hardiness Zone
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Special Features
Attracts Butterflies

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Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Chive Plants

Catherine Boeckmann
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Chives are perennial members of the onion family that sport beautiful edible flowers. Plus, they’re a wonderful companion plant that helps deter pests. Here’s how to grow chives in your garden!

About Chives: What are Chives?

Chives are cool-season, cold-tolerant perennials best planted in early to mid-spring for an early summer harvest.

Be mindful when planting this herb, as it will take over your garden if the flowers are allowed to develop fully (the flowers scatter the seeds). However, this plant is easy to dig up and move if it does end up invading other parts of your garden.

Chives are also a wonderful companion plant that deters pests. They’re a good friend to plant with carrots, celery, lettuce, peas, and tomatoes.

Types of Chives to Grow

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.
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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.

Chives growing in the ground

Growing

How to Grow Chives

  • Minimal care is needed for fully grown, established plants.
  • Although chives are drought tolerant, it’s important to give them consistent watering throughout the growing season for high yields. Moisten the soil thoroughly when watering.
  • Chives’ small bulbs grow near the soil surface, so use mulch to conserve moisture and keep the weeds down.
  • For good production, top-dress with a nitrogen-heavy fertilizer in late spring or early summer if your soil is not already nutrient-rich.
  • After the flowers bloom, remove them so that the seeds aren’t spread throughout your garden.
  • Remember to divide the plants every 3 to 4 years in the spring. Chives are much more productive if divided regularly. Divide them into clumps of at least 10 small bulbs and allow divided plants to grow for several weeks before harvesting. 

Types

  • Garlic chives, to add a mild garlic flavor to any dish

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.

purple Chive flowers

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.
Gardening Products

Wit and Wisdom

Pests/Diseases

  • Bulb rots (caused by soilborne fungi)
  • White rot
  • Mildew
  • Rust
  • Smut
  • Fungal leaf spots (such as purple blotch and gray mold)
  • Onion fly
  • Thrips

Recipes

Mashed Potatoes With Chives
Herbs
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

Phil (not verified)

8 months 3 weeks ago

I pick the blossoms at their peak and put them in a jar with vinegar. It makes a wonderful flavored vinegar and looks beautiful. I give them as gifts.

marjory clements (not verified)

1 year 2 months ago

Can I grow chives on a hill where the soil is dry and not deep. What do I need to insure the seeds do well. Do I need to add any fertilizer when planting

Dear Marjory,

Thanks for your note. Chives are a wonderful perennial herb once established. The spot you describe could support chives if you keep it watered. Chives like full sun best, and moist well-draining soil. To start from seeds, we recommend starting 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. If you are sowing outdoors, do so as soon as soil is workable; they can take a few weeks to germinate, and prefer soil temperature to be between  60º and 70ºF to do so. 

—The Editors

Bonnie (not verified)

1 year 6 months ago

Can I plant chives in a container and bring inside in the fall?

Yes I took am curious if you can bring potted chives in for winter

Cheryl L March (not verified)

2 years 4 months ago

I'm new to vegetable gardening and I didn't know there was so much to learn but good because I won't be bored. I've been trying for weeks to find the best time to sow garlic chives in lower Michigan zone 6. I'm going to start keeping track of the dates I do things and such so I'll find it easier next year.

Hi Cheryl, Wherever you live, you can start garlic chive seeds indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost. See the Almanac Frost Chart on this site as we list average frost dates by zip code. 

Earl (not verified)

2 years 6 months ago

How do I harvest the chive seeds? I have flowers but don't see any seeds and my flowers are about two weeks old.

I thought the same thing (that there were no seeds). Go over a paper or something and pick the dried flowers apart. The seeds look like very thin slivers and are tiny.