Plant this perennial herb once and you’ll have fresh flavor for years.
Grown and known for its onion-like taste, chives add fresh flavor to cuisines of all types.
Both the foliageslender, bright green leavesand the flowerspurple pom-pom bloomsare edible.
Credit: Illustration by Gary Palmer
Chives grow slowly and self-seed, popping up around the garden.
Chives are so pretty that you dont need to confine them to an herb garden.
Try planting them in perennial beds or along walkways.
Credit: Illustration by Gary Palmer
Or add the plant to container gardens where it will produce fresh new foliage from spring to frost.
How and When to Plant Chives
Plant chives in the spring after the last frost.
Dig a hole that is wide enough to fit the root ball and just as deep.
Credit: Illustration by Gary Palmer
Remove the plant from its pot.
If the root ball is dense and tight, gently loosen it with your fingers.
Backfill with the original soil and tamp the soil firmly with your hand.
Chives Care Tips
Chives are low maintenance and one of theeasiest herbsto grow.
And they are exceptionally long-lived.
Light
Chives grow best in full sun.
If the location has poor drainage, plant them in a raised bed or a pot.
Temperature and Humidity
A cool-season herb, chives produce their best harvest in the spring and fall.
Extreme summer heat can sometimes result in chives going dormant during the middle of the summer.
In cool climates, the foliage dies back and the plant goes dormant over the winter.
Chives are prone to getting powdery mildew, which is exacerbated by high humidity.
Fertilizer
Like many herbs, chives have the best flavor when they have slow, compact growth.
Soil rich in organic matter usually provides all the nutrients chives require.
Potting and Repotting Chives
Chives are great candidates for growing in pots.
Use a pot with large drainage holes and fill it with well-draining potting mix.
Keep in mind that potted plants need more frequent watering than plants in garden soil.
you’re free to also divide the plant instead of planting it in a larger pot.
Pests and Problems
Generally, chives are not often affected by serious pests and diseases.
Damping off usually occurs in soil that is too wet or overfertilized.
Other fungal diseases affecting chives are pink root rot, downy mildew, and powdery mildew.
You might also find aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites on your plants.
Dig up the entire clump.
Using a sharp spade, cut it into three or four sections.
Replant the sections at the same depth as the original plant.
The alternative to division is to take advantage of the self-seeding habit of chives.
Dig up small plants in the spring or summer.
Pot them in small plastic pots with potting soil to share with friends and neighbors.
Never pull them out of the ground.
Types of Chives
Garlic Chives
Garlic chivesare exceptionally hardy chives with a mild garlic flavor.
The leaves are flat and grass-like.
not hollow like onion chives.
The plants form slow-expanding clumps of gray-green foliage that stand 1 to 2 feet tall.
The leaves feature a mild garlic flavor.
Zone 3-9
Staro Chives
The cultivarAllium schoenoprasum’Staro' has the flavor of mild, sweet onion.
The leaves are thicker than other chives, which makes them especially suitable for freezing and drying.
The plants grow 12 to 18 inches tall.
Ten kinds of herbs surround a decorative sundial in a 6-foot-diameter bed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes and no.
Otherwise, cut any leaves with flower buds as soon as you notice them.
Those leaves are tough and not very palatable.
Alternatively, you’re free to also place them under grow lights.
