Growing Chives, also Garden chives

Allium schoenoprasum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
    S S S S S          
      T T T T          
      P P P P          

(Best months for growing Chives in Australia - tropical regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 50°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 2 inches apart
  • Harvest in 7-11 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Carrots, Tomatoes, Parsley, Apples
  • Chive flowers (foreground)

Grass-like leaves in clumps. Likes full sun but not too dry.

Chives are a perennial but die down in winter. You can dig up a small clump to pot up for indoor use in winter.

Remove flowers to encourage a continuous supply of leaves.

If weeding gets away from you, you can easily distinguish chives from grass because chives have a hollow leaf stem and onion smell.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Chives

Use raw in salads or as a mild onion flavour in cooked dishes.

Your comments and tips

21 Feb 24, Jen P (Australia - temperate climate)
I’ve been trying to grow chives in potting mix for vegetables since last August. Not one sprout. I’m hoping this round will yield something. I’ve grown them before and they grew like crazy. Using the seeds from what I grew.
26 Feb 24, Gary (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I have found commercial potting mixes to be a dicy and unreliable investment. I think that some are contaminated. The more expensive the worse. They seem to cause low growth rate or no growth at all. Also you need to prepare the soil at least Three month ahead.
08 Oct 22, Peter Chapman (Australia - temperate climate)
Chives. I have had my chives in the garden bed for about 6 months. They are growing well, but are prostrate, and falling all over the ground. I have grown chives successfully in previous gardens. Any idea why my chives are not upstanding?
17 Dec 22, Peter Chapman (Australia - temperate climate)
Disregard my last posting - Chives are now booming
09 May 18, Fish (Canada - Zone 2b Sub-Arctic climate)
Yes they are, when I started my garden they where sustaineable and string. Good tucka.
30 Sep 16, Balvinder Singh (Australia - tropical climate)
Are wild chives and onion weed the same?
03 Sep 16, Detlef (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
The black creatures you have seen on your chives are a type of aphid. Here in Tassie I have had them on spring onions, Garlic chives and chives. They can be gotten rid of with any food crop safe organic mild insecticide. I have used a white oil insecticide with great success. Cheers
02 Mar 15, Kate a (Australia - temperate climate)
I've planted a herb garden about three months ago and everything is going well except my chives! They're yellow at the tips and keep dying every time there is new growth
19 Oct 14, Peter Mackenzie (Australia - tropical climate)
Mandee try an area that has full sun (at least 6 hours) and use a premium potting mix for vegies and herbs, a good soil improver mix, and a few handfulls of dolomite. Water gently and heavily early in the morning on tue.,thurs., and sat. & after afternoon tea time on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. And give it some fish emulsion, & seaweed mix on planting and once a fortnight . Try that.
05 Feb 14, Pollyanna holmes (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
What do you mean by medicinal edible salts as far as chives goes.do you have to dry them with salt or suchlike many thanks
Showing 1 - 10 of 32 comments

I've planted a herb garden about three months ago and everything is going well except my chives! They're yellow at the tips and keep dying every time there is new growth

- Kate a

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