USA plant library · herb

Chives

Allium schoenoprasum · Amaryllidaceae

Hardy perennial herb with edible flowers

Photo: Jamain, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sun: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Well-drained, moist soil
Soil pH: About 6.0-7.0 (the general herb range)
Water: Moderate
Hardiness: USDA zones 4-8; commonly grown to zone 3
Height and spread: About 1-1.5 ft x 1-1.5 ft

Guv's tipCut chives to the ground several times a season, and deadhead to limit self-seeding. Keep them away from dogs and cats, mind.

Through the year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Sow or plant

Harvest

Months are a rough guide. Time it by your own frost dates.

When to plant

Sow seed as early as possible in spring (Mar-May). Plant divisions in early spring

Harvest or flowering

Flowers Apr-Jun; leaves Apr-Oct

Pruning

Cut to the ground several times a season. Deadhead to limit self-seeding

Making more plants

Division or seed

Watch out for

Pest

Onion thrips

Look for: Leaves with silvery/gray streaks, twisting

What to do: Hose off; insecticidal soap or registered insecticide

Disease

Downy mildew

Peronospora destructor

Look for: Pale tan-brown leaves with grayish-violet fuzzy growth in moist weather

What to do: Spacing for air flow, keep foliage dry; registered fungicide

Always read and follow the label on any treatment, and check it is approved for use where you live.

Safety and spread

Pets and people: Toxic to dogs, cats and horses: N-propyl disulfide causes vomiting, hemolytic (Heinz body) anemia and bloody urine (ASPCA; NC State Extension also flags it as poisonous)

Weed risk: None known

Checked against two or more reputable gardening sources. How we check our facts

Growing somewhere else? See this plant for the UK and Australia.

Keep it by the back door

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