It has a mild onion flavor that tastes great in salads or as a soup garnish.
The attractive edible purple flowers also make it an interesting garden plant and garnish.
If planted from seeds, they will reach harvestable maturity in about two months.
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Chives like plenty of sun, well-drained soil, and decent moisture.
Gardeners growing chives as edible herbs may cut back the flowers to prevent the plants from going to seed.
This is not a seriously invasive plant, however.
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and moistthe same conditions under which onions thrive.
Water
Chives are adrought-tolerant speciesonce established.
That doesn’t mean you should neglect to water them during hot, dry weather.
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To achieve an impressive harvest, see to it chives are kept consistently moist throughout the growing season.
If you aren’t always able to keep on top of watering duties, you couldconsider mulching.
Temperature and Humidity
A cool-season herb, chives produce their best harvest in the spring and fall.
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Extreme summer heat can sometimes result in chives going dormant during the middle of the summer.
Extreme cold can also kill off the foliage, and this is why pot-grown chives are often overwintered indoors.
Ideally, you want temperatures to be around 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
check that you sow them close to the surface and that they aren’t spaced too close together.
Propagating Chives
Chives are easy topropagate by division.
This improves the productiveness and health of the plants and prevents them from becoming overly congested.
This will prevent the seeds from spreading.
New plants should be harvested four or five times in their first year.
Mature plants should be harvested monthly.
Chives are best used fresh or when frozen immediately after picking.
They lose their flavor if they are dried for storage.
