How to grow Chives?
- Latin Family: Allium
- Latin Genus: Schoenoprasum
- Ease of Growing: Easy
- Growing Type: Perennial
The thin, round leaves of chives are commonly used in soups and sauces. The plant grows in clumps up to 12" high and produces lavender flowers in midsummer. Chives are also useful as a companion plant throughout the garden to help reduce the insect population. Chives are most often grown in the vegetable or herb garden, but they are so easy to grow and so pretty they can be planted almost anywhere in the garden.
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Chives History
Chives are attractive and compact plants that take up little space in the garden. The long, thin, hollow, bright green leaves have a wonderful delicate onion flavor.
Soil Preference
- PH (min/max): 6.0 - 7.5
- PH Ideal (min/max): 6.5 - 7.0
Chives will grow almost anywhere, but do best in a rich, moist soil with lots of organic matter. It doesn't like wet soil, so make sure the soil drains well.
How to care for Chives?
Chives are low maintenance perennials and will do fine without much attention. They are found growing wild over large parts of the northern hemisphere.
Water
Chives are pretty drought tolerant and don't need a lot of watering. However the soil should be kept moist for maximum productivity.
Fertilizer
Like other members of the Onion family, it is a fairly light feeder.
Seeds
Seed Viability: 1 - 2 years
Germination Percentage: 50.0
The flowers are very attractive to bees and other pollinating insects. Just leave the plants alone to flower and they will make seed. The problem is usually preventing it doing so. If you don't want seed then cut off the unwanted flower heads. This prevents the plant from wasting energy on seed production and encourages more vegetative growth.
Once you have an established colony, Chives can also be propagated by dividing the dense clumps of plants. The plants multiply quickly and benefit from the occasional thinning.
Light
Part shade
Chives will grow in part shade, but they will be much more productive in full sun.
Conditions:Cold, Cool, Warm, Hot
Season:Short Season, Long Season
Storage
You can also dry Chives, but they aren't anywhere near as good as the fresh (or frozen).
Storage Req: Drying
Storage Temp: 50-65°F
Storage Length: 1-180 days
Fresh leaves of Chives can be frozen. Fill an ice cube tray with clean chopped leaves and cover with water. Once they are frozen you can put the cubes in a plastic bag.
Storage Req: Freezer
Storage Temp: 32°F
Storage Length: 1-180 days
Problems
Chives Types
- Chives
Chives are attractive and compact plants that takes up little space in the garden. The long, thin, hollow, bright green leaves have a wonderful delicate onion flavor.
Pests
- Deer
- Slugs and snails
- Gophers
- Onion Maggot
- Thrips
Diseases
- Onion Smudge
- Rust
- Damping Off
- Downy Mildew
- Onion Leaf Blight
- Onion Neck Rot
- Onion Purple Blotch
