Garden Tips & Resources

If you like to use the flavor of onions in your meals, you will definitely benefit from growing chives. ‘Chive’ does actually mean onion in Latin! This useful herb is a perennial plant so you can enjoy chives each year. Chives are a hardy plant and there are uses for every part of the herb.

It is not widely known, but chives were brought back by Marco Polo after his venture to China. The Chinese have been cultivating chives for their cuisine for hundreds of years. Chinese chive is a less common variety with a delicate hint of garlic. Chives are known to grow in most parts of the world, in the wild. Not hard to please, the plant can tolerate most soil types, and produce in partial shade or full sunlight.

Growing chives in direct sunlight and rich, well-drained soil produces healthy plants to dress up any herb garden with their purple tops. And then, after only three months of growth, the herb is ready to eat, and add it’s delicate flavor to your favorite meals.

Tips for growing chives-

It is relatively simple when growing chives. You can purchase chive plants from a nursery or buy seed packets. Chives, Allium schoenoprasum, are best grown by splitting the bulbs of existing plants and replanting. A distance of around 9” should be maintained between each plant.

Growing chives indoors or outside-

Chives is one of the hardiest herbs; it can grow inside or outdoors with only a small amount of care after germination (A little bit like the plant graduating). Moist soil is better, but it cannot be too wet. Start the chive seedlings with basic potting soil in empty egg cartons. After visible sprouting of about 3-4 inches has occurred, it is time to re-plant into larger containers or pots.

Chive seeds can be started outside in the spring using well-prepared soil. Plant the chives seeds in rows at least twelve inches apart. When the chives sprout, they resemble blades of grass Keep chives weeded but watch out you do not pull the wrong plant!

Growing Chives and Their Benefits

Chives are chocked full of healthy vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A & C. Growing chives has another hidden benefit to your garden – it acts as a natural insect and pest repellent, keeping the nasties away from your other prized plants too.

Growing chives is an ideal decorative edging for a flowerbed. When the chive’s purple flowers begin to appear, select a few chive clumps to use for garnish.

The bulbs can be pulled up and used like onions for their subtle flavor. Simply chop the chive bulbs and use as you would small green onions.

To accelerate new growth of leaves, snip off the flower heads. However, leaves should be about 3” long before clipping for garnish. Select a leaf and trim it down to about an inch. Repeat this until you have enough fresh chives for the dish you are preparing.

Recipes used after growing chives:

Fresh chives go well with a variety of dishes from salads to meat. Add chives to the top of soups for a little extra flavor. A well known favorite is sour cream with chives as a tasty dip. Spuds and chives are a tasty combination. Try sprinkling over ‘just-cooked’ baked potatoes, or mix with mash for a little kick in flavor.

This helpful herb is never out of place on a kitchen windowsill. As you now know, growing chives is really no trouble at all. The herb takes up very little space, and the whole plant can be eaten, so there is no waste.

Have fresh chives on hand when you need a clump of the flavorful herb.

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