How to Grow Chives Herb Plants

Chives Flowering

About Growing Chive Plant in Your Herb Garden

Without a doubt, Chive plants are the absolute easiest herb to grow. This herb might be the easiest plant to grow, period. Indoors or outdoors, chives are a gardeners’ favorite. They propagate and spread easily. Once you plant this perennial herb, you’ve got them growing forever!

Chives are native to Siberia and Southeast Asia. Folks over there could not keep this wonderful herb a secret. As a result, they are commonly grown by millions of home gardeners. A member of the onion family, Chive herb plants have narrow, tubular leaves that are delicious snipped fresh into any dish where onions are used. If you let them grow, they will produce pretty lavender blooms, and be right at home in a flower garden. Hardy plants need little care outdoors, and just a little love indoors.

There are two types of plants. The first and most popular has a mild, onion-like flavor. Garlic Chives have a slightly stronger, garlic flavor.

Growing just 6-10 inches, they are perfect in window boxes or patio containers. Its cousin, Garlic Chives, grows a little bigger, about 12 to 40 inches, and has a white flower.

This herb shine in the kitchen. Use them in salads, soups (they are great in tomato or potato soups are great!), in tuna fish, baked potatoes with sour cream, cream cheese (on bagels), Mexican dishes, and wherever you would use onions. Also from a health perspective, they are high in vitamin C.

Furthermore, they are a great, edible houseplant. Grow them all winter in a sunny window, and harvest them as needed.

Perennial, Allium Shoenoprasum

Chive Plant Propagation

Grow Chives from seed. Try starting Chive plants indoors at least six weeks before you want to set them out. Start the seeds in the winter, and you get to enjoy your first cutting long before you set them out into the garden.

You can also sow the seeds directly into your garden.

Once your chives are well established, they can be separated by division.

Days to Germination: 10 – 14 days.

How to Grow Chive Herb Plants

Chive Allium Flower

Chive plants prefer full sun, but tolerate a fair amount of shade. Almost any soil will do. It is best if the soil is well-drained. Chive allium herbs do well in average soils and tolerate dry soil conditions. Water them during dry periods, if they start to wilt. In most cases, you will not need to add fertilizer, but it won’t hurt if you add some once or twice a year.

For indoor plants, use a liquid fertilizer every four to six weeks.

Harvest Chives, as needed. We recommend cutting the plants back if they reach six inches tall, as mature stems get woody. Cutting back plants promotes tender, new growth.

Like other herbs, Chives can be frozen or dried for long-term storage. How to Dry Herbs

Tip: Grow Chives in a flower bed next to the back door. These hardy perennials can still be harvested long after frost, and very early in spring.

Ideal Soil pH: 6.0 – 7.0.

Chive Plants

How to Grow Indoors

Transplant chives into an indoor pot or container, about six weeks before the first frost. Or, start new plants in containers.

Bring plants indoors, and keep them in a sunny window.

Keep soil moist.

Add a liquid fertilizer once a month. Or, use indoor fertilizer spikes.

You can harvest them all winter long.

Chives Allium Plant

Growing Chives- Additional Resources

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How to Dry Herbs

Growing Chives in the Herb Garden – by Garden Hobbies

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