Growing Chives – How to Grow Chives

If you are one that enjoys the taste of onions with your meals, you’ll definitely like the experience of growing chives. The word chive means onion in Latin The herb lasts throughout the year, so you can enjoy the chives in any season. 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 centuries. The chive that the Chinese use is slightly different to the herb we know and love, and possesses a hint of garlic. The herb grows wild in most parts of the world. Easy to look after, the herb is not fussy over particular soil types, and are suitable in sunlight or half-shade.

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 separating the bulbs of existing plants and replanting. The herb plants should be planted about nine inches apart.

How your growing chives can be placed inside, or planted outdoors-

Chives is one of the hardiest herbs; it can grow inside or outdoors with minimal care after germination (This is like a plant’s graduation.). Chives prefer moist soil, although be careful not to over water. An idea would be to place the tiny seedlings in potting  soil, placed in egg cartons (empty ones of course!). You will transplant the herb into larger containers after it has grown a few inches.

Chive seeds can be started outside in the spring using well-prepared soil. Plant the chives seeds in rows at least 12″ apart. When the chives sprout, they resemble blades of grass Keep chives weeded but watch out you do not pull the wrong plant!

Benefits of growing chives-

Chives have high levels of vitamin A and C and essential minerals. Another good thing benefit to growing chives in your garden, it helps keep away undesirable seedy characters such as plant lice, apple scab, and mildew.

Growing chives is an ideal decorative edging for a flowerbed. When you first see the purple tips of chives, they can now be clipped, ready for use for meals.

Even the bulbs can be dug up, and used much like an onion – producing a similar flavor. The bulbs can also be chopped the same way as small onions.

Trim off flower heads to allow for fast new growth of leaves. However, leaves should be about 3” long before clipping for garnish. Select a leaf and trim it down to about an inch. This can be repeated all over the plant, or at least until you have enough for the dish you’re preparing.

Growing chives for recipes-

Fresh chives go well with a variety of dishes like salads or meat. Soups perk up when you add chives on top. A well known favorite is sour cream with chives as a tasty dip. How about chives with butter on spuds? Yum. Try sprinkling over ‘just-cooked’ baked potatoes, or mix with mash for a little kick in taste.

Another decorative idea is to put the herb on a kitchen window. As you now know, growing chives is really no trouble at all. It takes up almost no space, and has little to no waste, as the entire plant can be eaten.

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