Growing Chives, also Garden chives

Allium schoenoprasum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
P P P P           P P P

(Best months for growing Chives in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 50°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 2 inches apart
  • Harvest in 7-11 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Carrots, Tomatoes, Parsley, Apples
  • Chive flowers (foreground)

Grass-like leaves in clumps. Likes full sun but not too dry.

Chives are a perennial but die down in winter. You can dig up a small clump to pot up for indoor use in winter.

Remove flowers to encourage a continuous supply of leaves.

If weeding gets away from you, you can easily distinguish chives from grass because chives have a hollow leaf stem and onion smell.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Chives

Use raw in salads or as a mild onion flavour in cooked dishes.

Your comments and tips

13 Jul 09, Amber (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I'm having no luck growing chives from seed. I've tried all that I know & have read can anyone help? We here, eat stacks of it!
30 Nov 09, Kelly (Australia - temperate climate)
ive got regular and garlic chives and there prob the easiest herb-plant ive grown.they grow great in direct sunlight as long as u water daily.i have it outside and it pretty much looks after itself.Ive grown from seedling as well as from seed trays.Seed trays they tend to grow quicker i found. Also i jave planted mine in september.
17 Jan 10, Catherine (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I too have had problems growing chives from seed. They don't even germinate. I tried directly in garden bed, and also in seed trays.
30 Jan 10, Dee (Australia - temperate climate)
Not sure if this will help, (hope it does)... I soak my seeds in hot water for a little while and then put them on cotton wool buds, making sure I keep them moist. I've tried seeds in seed trays and the same in the cotton wool, and the ones in the cotton wool always germinate. Then when they're big enough, I plant the seedling and cotton wool straight into a tray or the garden
30 Apr 10, Leigh (Australia - temperate climate)
I wanted to plant some chives seedlings now, is it too late? and should I wait until after winter?
19 Mar 11, Elaine (Australia - tropical climate)
I've just started growing chives in peat pellets in a little 'greenhouse'. I think it took all of 4 days for them to germinate. We'll see how they go when I transfer them to the garden bed or pot.
16 May 13, John (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Elaine, peat pellets are great but don't forget that other great seedling container. Egg cartons!
28 Jul 11, s craddock (Australia - temperate climate)
when you harvest chives to eat do you pull the bulb out or jus t ,cut the leaves thanks.
01 Mar 14, Ben (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Just cut the leaves
05 Sep 11, Graham (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I have planted garlic chives around my cool climate garden. Garlic chives have flat leaves about 20 cm tall and grows as clumps. It is hardy and easily broken into smaller clumps as spot fillers. I pull a leaf or two and chew them as I garden. The 8 month season finishes and the plant goes into winter dormacy. It seems hardly affected by frost and after drying to straw in winter, it comes back fresh and green as a background plant in any garden. the 40 cm tall flower stem and seed pod is easily clutched and pulled out as part of winter tidy up.
Showing 1 - 10 of 45 comments

There are quite a number of online suppliers of chive seeds in Canada. Search 'herb seeds' on the internet and click on a site then look for 'chive seed'. All the best.

- John

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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