Grown and known for its onion-like taste, chives add fresh flavor to cuisines of all types. Both the foliage—slender, bright green leaves—and the flowers—purple pom-pom blooms—are edible. Chives grow slowly and self-seed, popping up around the garden. Volunteers are easy to remove; they make welcome gifts for anyone who would like to plant chives in a pot or in the yard.

Where to Plant Chives

Chives thrive in full sun and well-drained soil rich in organic matter with a slightly acidic to neutral pH.

Plant them alongside other perennial herbs that also thrive in full sun, such as sage, thyme, French tarragon, and lavender. Chives are so pretty that you don’t need to confine them to an herb garden. Try planting them in perennial beds or along walkways. Or add the plant to container gardens where it will produce fresh new foliage from spring to frost. 

How and When to Plant Chives

Plant chives in the spring after the last frost. Dig a hole that is wide enough to fit the root ball and just as deep. Remove the plant from its pot. If the root ball is dense and tight, gently loosen it with your fingers. Place the plant in the hole so that the top of the root ball if flush with the surrounding soil. Backfill with the original soil and tamp the soil firmly with your hand. Water slowly and deeply and keep the plant well-watered in the absence of rain for a few weeks until you see new growth.

Chives Care Tips

Chives are low maintenance and one of the easiest herbs to grow. And they are exceptionally long-lived.

 Light

Chives grow best in full sun. They tolerate part shade well and will grow and blossom when they receive at least 6 hours of bright, direct light.

Soil and Water

Chives should be planted in rich, well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. If the location has poor drainage, plant them in a raised bed or a pot.

Temperature and Humidity

 A cool-season herb, chives produce their best harvest in the spring and fall. Extreme summer heat can sometimes result in chives going dormant during the middle of the summer. In cool climates, the foliage dies back and the plant goes dormant over the winter. Chives are prone to getting powdery mildew, which is exacerbated by high humidity.

Fertilizer

Like many herbs, chives have the best flavor when they have slow, compact growth. Soil rich in organic matter usually provides all the nutrients chives require. If the soil is low on organic matter, spread a 2-inch-thick layer of compost over each plant's root zone in early spring.

Pruning

To prevent the plants from self-seeding, deadhead them just as the blooms begin to fade, In the spring, remove the dead foliage to make room for new growth.

Potting and Repotting Chives

Chives are great candidates for growing in pots. Use a pot with large drainage holes and fill it with well-draining potting mix. Keep in mind that potted plants need more frequent watering than plants in garden soil.

Because chives grow slowly, repotting to a larger pot with fresh potting soil is only needed every few years. You can also divide the plant instead of planting it in a larger pot.

Pests and Problems

Generally, chives are not often affected by serious pests and diseases. They are susceptible to various fungal diseases, including damping off, where the fungus causes seedlings to die suddenly. Damping off usually occurs in soil that is too wet or overfertilized. Other fungal diseases affecting chives are pink root rot, downy mildew, and powdery mildew. You might also find aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites on your plants.

How to Propagate Chives

Chives need to be divided every three or four years in spring right after new leaves emerge, which is also the easiest way to propagate them (you can also grow them from seed but they are very slow to germinate). Dig up the entire clump. Using a sharp spade, cut it into three or four sections. Replant the sections at the same depth as the original plant.

The alternative to division is to take advantage of the self-seeding habit of chives. Dig up small plants in the spring or summer. Pot them in small plastic pots with potting soil to share with friends and neighbors.

Harvesting

Snip chives with a pair of sharp scissors or kitchen shears, cutting the stems down to 2 inches above the soil. Never pull them out of the ground. Cut leaves that are 7 to 10 inches in length and leave the smaller inner leaves on the plant to mature.

Types of Chives

 Garlic Chives

Garlic chives are exceptionally hardy chives with a mild garlic flavor. The leaves are flat and grass-like. not hollow like onion chives. The plants form slow-expanding clumps of gray-green foliage that stand 1 to 2 feet tall. The leaves feature a mild garlic flavor. Zone 3-9

Staro Chives

The cultivar Allium schoenoprasum 'Staro' has the flavor of mild, sweet onion. The leaves are thicker than other chives, which makes them especially suitable for freezing and drying. The plants grow 12 to 18 inches tall. Zone 3-9

Dolores Chives

Allium schoenoprasum 'Dolores' has fine, slender leaves, The plant has an upright growth habit and reaches 12 to 18 inches in height. Zone 3-9

Garden Plans For Chives

Classic Herb Garden Plan

This classic herb garden plan ensures your kitchen is always stocked with fresh herbs. Ten kinds of herbs surround a decorative sundial in a 6-foot-diameter bed.

Colorful Herb Garden Plan

Get an herb garden that dazzles with this colorful plan, where a 3x8-foot border features foliage with purple, green, and golden hues—including variegated leaves.