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Growing Chives
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Chives
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Chives
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Chives are a perennial member of the onion family that sport beautiful purple flowers. Here’s how to grow chives in your garden!
Chives are cool-season, cold-tolerant perennials that are planted in early spring.
Be mindful when planting this herb, as it will take over your garden if the flowers are left to ripen (the flowers scatter the seeds). However, this plant is easy to dig up and moved if it overwhelms your garden.
Planting
- Chives prefer full sun.
- Soil needs to be moist, fertile, rich, and well-draining. Before planting, incorporate 4 to 6 inches of well-composted organic matter. Apply 2 to 3 tablespoons of all-purpose fertilizer (16-16-8) per square foot of planting area. Work compost and fertilizer into the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. (Read more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.)
- For a head start, start the seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost. (See local frost dates.) Transplants need good growth before being set in the garden.
- If you are growing from seed, sow as soon as the soil is workable in the spring. For the best growth, the soil should be around 60º to 70ºF.
- Plant seeds ¼ inch deep and final plant spacing should be 4 to 6 inches apart in all directions.
Care
- It is important to give chives consistent watering throughout the growing season for high yields. Moisten the soil thoroughly when watering.
- Use mulch to conserve moisture and keep the weeds down.
- For good production, sidedress with fertilizer in May and July with 1 teaspoon of 21-0-0 per square foot.
- Minimal care is needed for fully grown plants.
- After the flowers bloom, be sure to remove them so that the seeds aren’t spread throughout your garden.
- Plants grow to be 12 to 24 inches tall and may spread a foot across.
- Remember to divide the plants every 3 to 4 years in the spring. Chives are much more productive if divided regularly. Allow divided plants to grow for several weeks before harvesting.
Pests/Diseases
Harvest/Storage
- Harvest chives 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 May or June. (The flowers are edible.)
- 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.
Recommended Varieties
- Garlic chives, to add a mild garlic flavor to any dish
Wit & Wisdom
- In the garden, plant chives next to carrots.
- Bunches of chives hung in the home were used to drive away diseases and evil. Find out more herbal folklore here.
- Chives are said to symbolize usefulness. Find out more plant symbolism here.
Recipes
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Reader Comments
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Chives
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!
Chives Seeds Leaving Soil
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.
chive seeds
Since the chive flowers are edible, ARE THE SEEDS EDIBLE?
learn about chives cultivation in India
Im interested to know how to cultivate chives in India specifically Karnataka, Raichur district and some information about export of this chives
Chives plantation & havesting seasons i Sinnar,Maharashtra,India
Pls guide
Chives
I live in a place with sandy soil we have planted regular chives and French chives.We planted them around apple trees.They have always have white flower tops and they have spread a lot thru the grass. We even have mowed them nice onion smell and they have very nice taste.We could sell them or sell the seeds.We have not used any fertilizer at all.They are probably organic by now.We have been here over 25 years and we had planted them soon after that.Can you tell me anything about them?And well we enjoy them so much they could replace our grass. And we would be very happy,the bees and monarch butterfly's are enjoying them right now.So we are helping them now, and that is a plus.So what is wrong about that?
Chive Flowers
I like the flowers on the chives to look at. My husband keeps cutting them off because he said they are tough and it's the only way new shoots will grow. I am of the opinion that new shoots grow up anyway.
Chive Flowers
Hi Laura,
The purple chive flowers are edible as well as beautiful, and can be enjoyed from early May to late June. If you cut off the flowers, new shoots will grow, but you can also wait to cut them after they have finished blooming in mid-summer and still get new growth. Chives will not grow new shoots unless you cut the foliage down when harvesting, or you let the flowers bloom and seed new chives for the following year. Separate and divide large clumps for transplanting to help maintain a healthy crop.
What is the life cycle of a chive?
What is a chives life cycle?
Growing chives
Chives take about 80 days from seed to harvest. The plant’s life depends on constant harvesting of the leaves. Also, every year, divide the clumps and plant in a different part of the ground.
Chives
Can chives be grown in a as a potted plant? If so what are your suggestions for doing this?
Thank you,
Sherri
growing chives in pots
Yes, chives are easily grown in pots placed in a sunny location. Use pots with good drainage and fill with a prepared soil mix. Water to maintain uniform soil moisture.
help on growing
i am wondering if someone could tell me what to plant next to my jalapenos for best results to avoid bugs and for best yield of harvest.
Re: Companions for Jalapeños
Basil, onions, leeks, okra, garlic, petunia, nasturtium, and my favorite bug repeller..... Marigolds. I always have marigolds in the garden to repel aphids, beetles, potato and squash bugs, etc... Jalpenos have lots of companions. The ones I listed will help keep the bugs at bay.
new gardener
so my daughter school planted chives for fun project, they planted them in a small plant pot. they are growing amazingly, but they are growing so fast that i'm worried they need to be moved into something bigger. or will they be ok in the small plant pot ? any help will do and thank you.
It’s recommended to plant
It’s recommended to plant individual chive plants in a 6- to 8-inch diameter pot, or plant multiple plants about 4 inches apart in a larger pot. Use pots that have holes in the bottom and use light well-draining soil mix. You can also plant the chives outdoors in the garden.
Thank You
I have automotive background and have no knowledge of plant or agri-business.
I planted a chive two years. In the first year, I harvested a few times. During the winter, I left it. However, I noticed, it grew and just harvested. I am encouraged with the chive. I am going to grow chives in my yard. Home-grown chives contain some sweetness and tender vs. commercial sold chives. I will plant more chives in my yard according to your manual & instruction, which are very useful to follow. Thank you very much.
Chives
Wish you luck with your chives, though I am sure you will be just fine! There are also garlic chives you might enjoy as well.
At what point are the seeds
At what point are the seeds ready to harvest for future planting? Ours just came out in flowers, but I am not sure what to look for as the seed.
Chive seeds will develop
Chive seeds will develop after the flowers are pollinated. The flower head will dry to a pale tan color, and the stem will start to turn brown: At that point, the seeds inside should be ready to harvest. Snip off the dried flower heads (you might place a white plate or bowl underneath to catch any seeds that might fall), place them in a paper bag, and shake (alternatively, you can rub the flower head gently between your fingers over a bowl). The black seeds will release and you can collect them. Be sure to separate them from the chaff (the rest of the flower head pieces). Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place; the seeds may last 1 to 2 years. Chive varieties may cross pollinate, so you might not get exactly the same offspring as the parent plant if other varieties are about.
I have harvested the seeds
I have harvested the seeds from my chive plant. I don't want more plants, so can I eat the seeds - scattered as a condiment, perhaps?
Which part of the chive plant
Which part of the chive plant do you eat? Is it the thicker stems that grow the flowers or the softer leaves with no flowers?
Any part of the chive plant
Any part of the chive plant is edible. Most people eat the long green stalks raw, snipping them with scissors into dishes. You can even eat the pretty flowers; scatter them into salads.
I haven't cut my chives back
I haven't cut my chives back this year. I had a BUNCH, and they all bloomed into gorgeous flowers. Now, the leaves are toppling down. The base of the leaves are very thick and woody. Should I just snip them down? Will they re-grow this season?
Opinions seem to be mixed
Opinions seem to be mixed about cutting back chives. Some sources suggest cutting back the entire plant to remove spent flower stalks, to about 2 inches in height. Other say do not cut down the entire clump; the plant needs some of its leaves to ensure future growth.
Either way, chives will come back next year; they are perennials.
Can you make a tea out of the
Can you make a tea out of the flowers. My chives are beautiful right now and I need to harvest. Last year was my first time planting chives. No flower then but now wow. Can I also freeze the flowers?
I preserve my chives in
I preserve my chives in butter and freeze it. Soften (not melt)a pound of butter, add about one cup of finely diced chives and mix well. The mixture can be put in ice cube trays to freeze, then pop them out and store in a ziplock bag, or mold the chive butter into a log, wrap with plastic wrap and store in he freezer, when you want to use some, slice off a chunk and rewrap the rest for the next time! This chive butter is great in eggs, veggies and, my favorite, on a grilled steak. Enjoy!
Should chives be frozen whole
Should chives be frozen whole or chopped? Washed and spun dry? Wouldn't they be soft and rather mushy after defrosting?
This will be my first harvest so appreciate helpful advice.
We would suggest chopping
We would suggest chopping chives before freezing. Also they should be washed and thoroughly dried prior to freezing.
When freezing chives, should
When freezing chives, should they be washed first, or is it better to wash them as I take them out of the freezer when I am ready to eat them?
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