How to Grow Chive
Chive At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Herb
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -34°C
Plant Family
Amaryllidaceae
Growing Season
Cool & Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Chives handle frost, so sow them in early spring, about 4 weeks before your last frost. Sow little pinches of 5 to 6 seeds 0.5 cm deep, one pinch every 10 cm, and cover lightly. Keep the soil moist, since they take 10 to 14 days to sprout and look like fine blades of grass at first.
Chives come back every year for many years and shrug off cold winters, so one sowing keeps you picking for a long time. Go easy on cutting in the first year while the clumps fill in. Garlic chives, with flat leaves and white flowers, grow the same way but scatter their seed widely, so snip their flowers off before the seeds fall.
When To Start
Sow outside
4 to 1 weeks before your last spring frost
Add where you grow and these become your own dates.
Your Chive Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Sow chive seeds outdoors in little pinches
30 days before your last frost· every year
Divide an old chive clump, or plant one out
Around your last frost· every year· optional
Snip chives often, and cut them back after flowering
40 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Keep the soil damp until the seedlings are up and growing. Water gently if the top feels dry.
About 1 days after you plant it
Hello from your chives! Keep the soil lightly moist while the thin green leaves fill in.
About 39 days after you plant it
Your chives should be ready for a first snip. Cut leaves a few centimetres above the soil and they grow back.
About 64 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: have a look at what's ready.
About 75 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Chive's Lifecycle
Seedling
Seed Production
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 10–14 days
Growing Tips
- 1Give chives full sun, or part shade if that is what you have.
- 2Mix some compost into the soil when planting, or grow them in a pot on a sunny balcony or windowsill.
- 3Water when the top 2 to 3 cm of soil is dry, and never let pots dry out completely.
- 4Top up with a little compost or worm castings each spring, and give them compost tea after a big cut to help them grow back.
- 5Spray aphids off with a strong stream of water, and divide clumps every 3 to 4 years when the middle gets crowded.
- 6Chives, like onions and garlic, are toxic to cats and dogs, so keep pets from chewing them.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~75
Days to Maturity
30 cm
Mature Height
30 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
90 days
When to Pick
Snip leaves regularly from base
How to Harvest
- 1Start picking once the leaves are about 15 cm tall.
- 2Grab a small handful and cut it with scissors 3 to 5 cm above the soil, taking no more than a third of the clump at a time.
- 3Pick often, because new leaves keep coming all season.
- 4The flowers are edible too, so pull the little florets apart and sprinkle them on salads.
- 5After flowering, cut the whole clump back to about 5 cm to get a fresh crop of tender leaves.
- 6Chop extra chives and freeze them in an ice cube tray with a little water, since they keep their flavour better frozen than dried.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Chives come true from seed, and common chives do not cross with garlic chives or onions. Let a few flower heads stay on the plant until they turn papery and brown and you can see small black seeds inside. Cut the heads into a paper bag before the seeds fall out, and let them dry for a week. Shake or rub the heads to free the seeds, and store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry place. Chive seed only keeps 1 to 2 years, so sow it soon.
Seed Production
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