Chives
Chives are a member of the onion family. They have a milder slightly garlic taste.
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New: Common New: Dolores New: Unknown (probably common) |
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Allium schoenoprasum |
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Easy |
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Intermediate |
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1-2 years if properly stored |
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Perennial |
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7-14 days |
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up to 20” |
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Needs light to germinate Full sun |
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once plant reaches 6” tall |
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Feb, Mar, Apr, May |
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Out of Stock: Dolores; Unknown Yes for the Rest |
Table of Contents
Growing Tips
When to Start
Spring: Direct sow after the danger of frost has passed. You can start chives indoors. My best guess is start 6-8 weeks before the last frost.
How to Start
Direct sow or transplant in full sun and rich soil. If you’re starting chive seeds indoors, use sterile pre-moistened seed starting mix to fill the pots or cells. Surface sow 10-15 seeds per cell with a bottom heat of 64 F. Chive seeds need light to germinate. Place the cells or pots under grow lights and keep the soil moist but not soggy. When the chives reach 6 inches, you can transplant them.
When direct sowing, the seeds may take a little extra time to sprout until the soil warms up. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. Thin to 4-6’’.
Care
Chives are like Goldilocks, they don’t do as well in soil that is too wet or too dry they want it just right–consistently moist, but not soggy. They like full sun but will tolerate part shade. To increase productivity, divide the plants every few years.
Harvest
Harvest throughout the growing season. When the stocks reach a foot tall, harvest up 6 inches at a time.
How to use
The greens have a mild onion flavor. Flowers can be added to salads and go well with tomatoes. The greens are used the most and are good on baked potatoes, eggs, potato salads, and soup garnishes.
My personal experience
I tried direct sowing and had no luck. It was difficult keeping the soil moist enough and I think every time I watered the seeds were disturbed. I think starting indoors would be easier as with seed starting mix it would be easier to keep the soil moist without disturbing the seeds.
I ending up getting a seedling and transplanting it into a pot on my patio. It’s thriving and very happy. I love fresh chives on eggs! There good in salads too and they are the perfect garnish for the Irish potato, onion soup I make!
Pro Tip!
Incompatibles: Beans and peas
Grows well with: Carrots, celery, grapes, peas and tomatoes
Seed Saving
Isolation Distance
Commonly reproduced by the division of bulbs in the garden, insect-pollinated chives also produce viable seeds. Chives cross with other chives (except Garlic chives, which are A. tuberosum); separate varieties by one mile for safe distance isolation.
Instructions
Let a few clumps of chives flower in the spring and collect the seeds when flower heads are thoroughly dry. The seeds will easily crumble out of the dried flowers.
Once pods or husks have been harvested, store them in a dry place and wait until they are thoroughly dry. When the pods or husks are dry enough they will easily crumble between your hands. Crumble the pods or husks until all the seeds are released.
Seeds and finer chaff are easy to separate by a variety of methods. One way is to use two screens of varying mesh, one a little smaller than the seeds and the other a little larger. The first screen lets anything smaller than the seeds fall through, and the second lets the seeds through and stops anything larger.
Features
- Common: Heirloom and frost hardy. They are good cooked or raw and even the purple flowers are edible. Mild onion flavor.
- Dolores: Heirloom. Perennial in zones 3-10. Fine, slender leaves grow in a uniform, up right habit.
Chives produce edible lavender flowers blossoms from May to June.
Source:
The New York Botanical Garden, Herbal Handbook, Clarkson Potter.