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Planting and Growing Chives: Tips for a Pest-Deterring, Edible Flower Herb

Lush flowering chives with purple buds in the garden. Wild Chives flower or Flowering Onion, Allium Schoenoprasum , Chinese Chives, Schnittlauch, Garlic Chives. Shallow depth of field
Image Credit:
Vlad Antonov
Botanical Name
Allium schoenoprasum, A. tuberosum
Grown as
Perennial
USDA Zones
3a
3b
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
Toxicity
Toxic to Dogs and Cats
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Water Needs
Moderate
Height
1–3 feet
Spread
1–3 feet
Soil pH
Acidic
Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Flower Color
Pink
Purple
Red
White
Special Features
Container-Friendly
Cut Flower
Disease-Resistant
Fragrant
Low Maintenance
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Hummingbirds
Attracts Pollinators
Deer-resistant
Rabbit-resistant
Resilience
Clay Soil Tolerant
Cold Hardy
Drought-Tolerant
Heat-Tolerant
Plant Type
Herbs
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Chives: the tiny green superheroes of the garden! Not only do they add a pop of flavor to your dishes, but they also fight off pesky pests—and they even bloom into pretty edible flowers. Let’s dig into how to grow these versatile herbs without letting them take over your backyard.

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.

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Planting

Where to Plant Chives

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 and 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. 

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.

Pests and Problems

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

Types

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.

Wit and Wisdom

Herbs

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

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

<span>Pat Powell</span> Fri, 04/25/2014 - 09:52
I like our chives in salad stir fry potatoes baked after they are done they give a taste that blends with the olive oil garlic salt pepper.
<span>Donna Wolcott</span> Wed, 04/23/2014 - 19:09
When we moved to our home a few years ago there were a few chive plants near a wall in the backyard. Now they have taken over the backyard and I don't know how to stop them. What can I use, it is making the yard look awful as they are so much higher than the grass. They don't seem to cut well with a lawn mower. Help!!! Thank you for any help you can provide. Donna Wolcott
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 04/29/2014 - 08:19
What you probably have is wild onion or wild garlic in your yard. Do not use herbicides on these invaders. However you feel about herbicides, it won't work on bulbs. For better or worse, you need to pull them and they'll pull fairly easily. Pull after a rain so it's easy to get the entire bulb out. You could use a spade, too. Also, build a healthy lawn. Try corn gluten meal weed and feed in the spring. Give them compost in the fall. Do not use chemical fertilizer.
<span>Anonymous</span> Wed, 05/15/2013 - 16:58
I love them on baked potatos right out of my back yard.
<span>Bob</span> Tue, 02/16/2016 - 20:19
You have baked potatoes in your back yard?