Chives are a wonderful addition to any herb or vegetable garden and provide many benefits to both the garden and to homemade meals from the kitchen. Read on to find out how to grow this versatile culinary herb!
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About Chives
Chives are a perennial herb (which means it returns every year) and is hardy in most climates. These chives in the picture above have survived plummeting winter temperatures and snow here in Utah as well as scorching hot summers.
Chives are a member of the onion family or Allium family for those of you with a flare for Latin. This family includes onions, garlic, leeks, Jack in the Hedge, ramps, spring onions and scallions! In the middle ages chives were known as rush leeks.
Unlike yellow or red onions where the bulb is eaten, with chives it is the grass-like leaves which are eaten.
Chives are found all over the world in many different climates and grow very well here in the US in growing zones 3 to 9. In cold areas, the plant will die back in winter and will put forth bright green shoots in early spring,
How To Grow Chives
You can grow chives
Chives like a warm shady position in the garden and grow well in containers both indoors and outside. You can even grow them vertically in wall hanging planters as long as you keep them well watered.
Chives can be grown easily from seed
Once the clumps get large over a few seasons, you can divide the clumps up into smaller clumps and grow those somewhere else. You can also pot up a divided clump to give to friends or to grow indoors during winter to supply you with fresh herbs! Plant seedlings of divided clumps in spring or early summer to allow them to thoroughly establish themselves before winter.
This year I’m growing both garlic
Growing Chives Biodynamically
For those of you interested in biodynamic or growing by the moon techniques, chives are a leaf plant. This means that chives should be sown and weeding, dividing and planting activities performed on leaf days when the moon lies in water signs of the zodiac.
Benefits of Growing Chives
Chives, like onions have globe-like flower heads which draw beneficial insects like bees and butterflies into the garden.
Chives can be planted as part of a companion planting scheme in a garden and can help deter carrot fly and attack on tomatoes or strawberries if planted nearby.
Avoid planting chives near beans, peas, onion and garlic.
Chives In Permaculture
If you are interested in permaculture, chives are often planted in guilds around fruit trees right below the leaf drip line (where rainwater would drip off the tree’s leaves onto the ground). Their clumping habit creates a dense barrier which reduces grass creeping in around your trees or garden bed.
The flowers bring in pollinators and beneficial predators to protect your fruit from pests. Chives can also be cut back and used as a chop and drop mulch and growing them can help deter deer and rabbits from your garden too!
Chives as chop and drop mulch with suppress weeds and fertilize the soil and their strong smell is said to deter deer and bunnies from nibbling at your plants. The smell is also reputed to confuse insect pests and deter them from your veggies too.
Chives grow well in herb spirals with other culinary herbs like oregano, horseradish and tarragon as well as medicinal herbs which attract bees like borage and comfrey. You can also experiment growing them with flowers and perennial shrubs.
How To Harvest And Use Chives
To harvest, simply snip the leaves or nip the flower head off! The plant will recover as long as you don’t cut back further than 2 inches from the ground.
Chives have a delicate onion flavor which complements salads or eggs, You can also add them to soups, stews or casseroles. The flower heads make a colorful addition to salads especially when teamed with other edible flowers. They can also be added to vinegar when pickling or canning or to oil to add a subtle flavor for dressings.
For a recipe using chive flowers see: How To Make Pickled Garlic With Chives.
These herbs don’t take up much room in the garden and their cheerful early summer blooms brighten up a lightly shaded spot in the garden! These easy to grow perennial herbs help to deter pests and deer from your garden and can even be used as a mulch. Chives can be harvested again and again throughout the growing season to add an onion kick to salads, sour cream, dips, baked potatoes, scrambled eggs and more. Chives are easy to preserve by freezing in ice cube trays, dehydrating
What’s your favorite way to use chives? Let me know in the comments!
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