Growing Chives

Growing chives (Allium Achoenoprasum) from your own backyard gives you access to fresh oniony greens from early spring through the fall.

Sprinkle snipped leaves over evrything from stir-fry to scrambled eggs, or add the pretty purple flowers to vinegars and salads.

Chives are the smallest species of the onion family Alliaceae, native to Europe, Asia and North America.

Allium schoenoprasum is also the only species of Allium native to both the New and the Old World.

The english name chive derives from the French word cive, which was derived from cepa, the Latin word for onion.

Description

Chives are perennials that grow 12 to 18 inches tall in zones 3 to 10.

Flowers: Chives have globe-shaped clusters of pink to purple florets in mid-spring. Garlic chives bears loose clusters of star-shaped white or mauve florets in late summer.

Leaves: Chives have hollow, cylindrical leaves; garlic chives have flat leaves. Both will die back in the fall.

Flavor and fragrace: Chives have an oniony flavor and fragrance; garlic chives taste and smell like mild garlic.

How To Grow

When to plant: Sow directly in the garden in the early spring, or start the seeds indoors at least eight weeks before your last spring frost date. Seeds require darkness to germinate.

Transplant the seedlings anytime from early spring to late summer. Make sure to protect new transplants from late spring frosts.

Divide chives every three years to prevent overcrowding. In early spring or early fall, dig the clump with a spade. Trim the roots to about 3 inches long and the tops to about 2 inches long. Gently pull the clump into sections of four to six bulbs each. Replant these sections 8 to 12 inches apart in a row.

Where to plant: Plant your chives in full to partial shade.

Soil and fertility: Both types of chives require well-drained, humus rich soils. Before planting, till 1 inch of compost into the growing area. Apply 1/2 inch of compost to the soil surface around the plants during midsummer. After the leaves die back in the fall, apply about a 1/2 inch of compost to the entire growing bed.

Plant spacing: Space groups of four to six seedlings 8 to 12 inches apart. Direct-sow the seeds in groups at the same spacing to make early weeding easy.

Pests: Few problems

Diseases: In soggy soils and high humidity, crowded plants can develop fungal diseases.

Harvesting

When to harvest: Harvest chives after the leaves are at least 6 inches tall.

How to harvest: Cut the leaves with a sharp knife or shears at least 2 inches above the soil. Snip off flowers just after they open fully, removing all flowerstalks. Cut the chives back after they flower.

Drying: Home-dried chives usually color and flavor.

Freezing: Freeze in ice cubes.

Uses

Cooking: Snip the leaves into salads, soups, and egg dishes. Sprinkle over cooked fish and other entrees to add flavor and a fresh appearance. Toss the whole flower cluster or florets into salads.

Vinegars: Use in vinegars for a light, oniony flavor.

Oils: Combine with extra-virgin olive oil.

Growing chives will give you a versatile herb that you can add to almost any dish.