How to Grow Chives & Culinary Uses.

As part of my Master Gardener herb demonstration, I’m making fact sheets for several culinary herbs along with their uses. Today, we’re focusing on a common herb found in most garden centers; Chives. If you’ve ever wondered How to Grow Chives and their Culinary Uses, read on. I’ve got you covered.

All About Chives:

Chives are a hardy, drought-tolerant addition to any garden. Growing in undergrown clumps, they produce hollow leaves and, in mid-summer, purple clover-like flowers, making them both beautiful and edible.

Fast Facts About Chives:

Scientific Name: Allium schoenoprasum
Germination: 7-14 days
Hardiness: A perennial that grows well in zones 3-9
Soil Conditions: Prefers a rich, moist, well-drained soil with high organic content, but will grow in other conditions.
Lighting: Prefers full sun but will grow in part shade
Fertilizer: Add compost when first planting or transplanting. After planting, fertilize with balanced plant food or fish emulsion once a month. Fertilize plants often if they are frequently harvested.
Height: Varieties grow 12 to 18 inches tall.
Spacing: Plant 4 to 8 inches apart.
Ease of Growth: Easy
Time until Harvest: varies, but chives can be cut when the leaves reach 6″

How to Grow Chives

How to Grow Indoors: Grow chives from seed by sowing indoors, then transplanting outdoors in early spring or fall. Plant the seeds in pots with good drainage systems, keep the soil evenly moist, and place the pots in a sunny location. The seeds may germinate slowly so allow 4-6 weeks to produce transplants. Seedlings may have variations in leaf texture and size.
How to Grow Outdoors: Chives seeds can be sown directly outside in early spring or fall. The most common way to propagate chives is by dividing the clumps in early spring. Plants should be divided every 2-3 years to prevent overcrowding. If flowers are not removed before going to seed, chives will self-sow and can overtake the garden.

Where to Plant:

Chives grow well near many crops. They contain sulfuric oils which deter many pests including aphids and mosquitos, and, if allowed to bloom, attract beneficial pollinators.
Plant Chives Next to tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, kohlrabi, mustard, peppers, potatoes, rhubarb, squash, strawberries, grapes, and roses, or as a border in your flower or herb garden.
Avoid Planting Chives Near: asparagus, peas, spinach, and beans, as they compete for similar soil nutrients.

Harvesting:

Harvest chives throughout the growing season to encourage new growth and prevent tough leaves. To harvest, cut the leaves completely across about 1/2” above the soil. Removing all of the leaves at once encourages plant regrowth.

Culinary Uses:

Culinary Uses: Chives are part of the allium family (garlic, shallots, leeks, and onions), have a mild flavor, and can be used or substituted in recipes.
Dried or fresh chives are good additions to fish, soups, stews, salads, dips, potatoes, omelets, cheese dishes, vegetable dishes, herb oil, herb butter, or herb vinegar.
Unopened flower buds can be diced to provide a mild onion-like flavor and flowers can be used as an edible garnish.
Chives can be preserved by drying, freezing, or by adding fresh herbs to oil, butter, or vinegar. Dried chives discolor and absorb moisture quickly.

Popular Varieties:

From the University of Illinois extension website:

‘Grolau’ Chives – Extra strong flavor and thick, dark leaves. Less susceptible to becoming leggy.

‘Nelly’ Chives – Fine texture leaves, blue-green in color, uniform upright habit.

‘Profusion’® Chives – Prolific production of leaves and flowers. Flowers are sterile and don’t produce seeds.

‘Staro’ Chives – Extra thick dark leaves.

Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum) – Also called Chinese Chives. Similar in appearance to garden chives but leaves are flat and not round and flowers are white not pink. Growing to about 12-18 inches. Culture is the same as for garden chives. Distinct garlic flavor to the leaves. Excellent as an ornamental-edible border plant.

Diseases and Prevention:

Botrytis Blight: Symptoms include: yellowish-brown irregular spots on the leaves, fuzzy gray fungus, and rot in the older leaves and the center of the plant.
Treatment: Remove infected plants to prevent disease spreading. Provide good air circulation for plants.

Damping Off: A common problem when starting plants from seed in which the seedling suddenly wilts and dies for no obvious reason.
Treatment: Keep seedlings moist but not overwatered; avoid over-fertilizing; thin seedlings to prevent overcrowding, and provide good air circulation.
Wash containers in soapy water and rinse in a 10% bleach solution before and after use.

Downy Mildew: Symptoms begin with pale spots on the leaves along with a gray-purple fuzzy growth. The leaves turn pale green, then yellow and the tips collapse.
Treatment: Plant in well-drained soil. Avoid overcrowding. Remove any infected plants. Rotate crops with other alliums and do not plant in the same area for at least four years.

Pink Root Rot: Symptoms: Roots turn a light pink, then red, and eventually purple-brown and shriveled.The disease lives in the soil for several years and thrives in warm temperatures.
Treatment: Rotate crops with other members of the allium family.

Powdery mildew: Symptoms include a white powder on the leaves.
Treatment: Remove the infected plant areas, and increase air circulation