How to Grow Chives at Home? A Simple Growers Guide

Are you looking for a quick and easy way to grow chives at home? This article will give you all the information you need to know about how to grow chives in your own garden.

In this article, we’ll be covering what you need, how long it takes, and why growing chives is beneficial.

When to Plant Chives Outside

Chives is the type of plant that prefers cool weather. This plant grows best in early spring or fall. These plants can grow to 24″ in height to about 24″ in width at full maturity.

Starting Chives from Seeds

Starting your chives herb plant from seeds takes quite a long time. The easiest method would be to start from starter plants from a nursery or to propagate by division.

It usually takes around 9-10 weeks for you to start seeing seedlings coming out. Start your seeds indoors 10 weeks before the last spring frost. This will give your plants a head start.

To begin you will want to purchase trays, sterilized seed mix, and chives seeds. You can find these on Amazon.

Fill the trays with sterilized seed mix, and even them out. Next sow your seeds in less than 1/4” into the seed mix.

Fill up a spray bottle with water and spray the soil with some water.

Spray the soil until moist, do not over water. Next cover the seed tray with the provided lid.

Chive seeds need to be in total darkness for them to germinate. Seeds should germinate in approximately 2 weeks.

The temperature of the soil needs to approximately 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.56 °C) for the seeds to germinate.

Once the seeds have germinated and the seedlings have come out, you will want to move the seedlings out of the dark and close to a windowsill or window to allow them to receive some sunlight to allow further growth.

Once the plants have grown to about 6-7″ in length, they are ready for transplanting outdoors in late spring.

Growing this herb in containers or pots is best. Planting in pots has the benefit of moving it around your yard as well as indoors once the weather gets cooler. It will continue to grow indoor all winter.

Growing Chives in Pots or Containers

To start growing chives indoors is easy. You will need chives seeds, a light well draining potting soil and clay pots or containers. Recommended pot size is between 6 – 8” inches.

Make sure the clay pots have holes in the bottom of them so that water can escape.

Fill up the pots with a well draining potting soil like a sandy loam soil. Next moisten the soil just a little using a spray bottle containing water. Do not to water the soil too much. Next you will want to plant the seeds into the soil about 1/4” deep.

Now place the plants near a window or on a windowsill that receives about 6-8 hours of sunlight daily. Do not place them near air conditioner or heating vents. When the soil looks or feels dry to the touch, water the plant.

Water every few days. A simple way to check the soil moisture is by sticking your finger in the soil about an inch deep. As, the plants grow bigger you can transfer them to bigger 10″ pots. Harvest your chives when the leaves are about 7″ inches tall.

Using scissors or a knife, cut the leaves close to the bulb of the plant. Do not cut it right down to the soil level, just leave about a 2 -3” of stem. Doing this will also enhance growth of the chives plant.

Herbs grow great in all types of pots. Some of the most popular are terracotta, plastic, resin, metal and ceramic. If you’re new to herb gardening, you may want to start with self watering pots. These pots water your plants whenever it’s needed, making it easier for the beginner.

I personally use the Classic Garden Planters for my Rosemary plants. You can find both of these products on Amazon.

Selecting A Spot for your Chives

Chives have a tendency of dominating a garden, so take this into consideration before selecting a spot for planting.

Sunlight Requirements

Select a spot that gives a minimum of 6-8 hours of full sunlight a day, proper moisture and warm soil temperatures.

Soil Requirements

Chives can grow in many types of soil but the best soil is well draining, fertile and loose. I would recommend a sandy loam soil or a commercial fertilizer soil with organic matter.

The optimum pH level of the soil should be between 6.0-7.0.

Spacing Requirements

Chives need space for it to grow properly. This plant is capable of reaching up to 24 inches (60.96 cm) tall, and needs about 10-12 inches (30.48 cm) between plants, because it will spread.

Watering Requirements

Chives grow very well in moist environments, so water this plant regularly especially if the weather is very dry and hot. Make sure to water this plant whenever you notice the soil looks dry, or dry to the touch.

To check moisture in the soil, use your finger or little trowel to dig in and look at the condition of the soil. If you notice that the initial 2-4″ (5-10 cm) of soil which is dry, this is the time when the water is required.

Enhancing Growth

Cut the flower buds off before it starts to bloom. Cutting off the flower buds will put the plant into rapid growth mode.

Companion Plants

Chives makes an excellent companion plant. Some great companions are squash, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, eggplant rhubarb, potatoes, grapes, beans, parsnip, parsley, apples and more.

Planting chives near vegetables is an excellent idea to ward off any pests. Chives help repel aphids, cucumber beetles from lettuce and even celery. Tomatoes taste better and carrots grow longer.

Bad Companions

It is not recommended to plant chives near spinach, beans, asparagus
beans and peas. They have a harder time growing when planted near chives.

Pests

Planting chives near vegetables or other plants can ward off any pests. Chives help repel aphids, cucumber beetles, Japanese beetles and carrot rust fly.

Harvesting

It is best practice to harvest leaves early in the morning before the sun is hot. Harvesting chives is easy, just grab a bunch of leaves on the plant and cut 3″ above the base, leaving some stem. Start by clipping the outer leaves first. You can do this with scissors or a knife.

Storage

There are 3 ways to store your chives. Chives freshly cut leaves, last in your fridge for about 1 week. Wash your leaves, wrap them in a wet paper towel and put them into a ziplock bag and place in your refrigerator.
If you would like to freeze them, first wash them and then place them in ziplock bags and freeze.

How to dry your chives? You can dry your chives with a drying rack or a screen. Another way is to hang them in a cool dark area with plenty of circulation, like a cellar or basement until dry. They will be dry in about 14 days or when they are brittle. You can then place it in a sealed air-tight jar or container.

Culinary Uses

There are many ways you can use chives in your cuisine such as creamy chive potatoes, mashed or baked potatoes with chives, dips, soups, seafood dishes and don’t forget omelets.

Frequently Asked Questions