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Home > Guides > Herbs > Garlic Chives |
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How to Grow Garlic Chives | Guide to Growing Garlic Chives |
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Overview |
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Great for dressing up potatoes and spicing up salads, this easy-to-grow Allium’s pinkish-lavender flowers make an attractive clump or edging in flower gardens. |
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Low Fert., Damp, Acid, Droughty |
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Growing Guide
GROWING NOTES
While chives will tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, they prefer slightly acid soil (pH 6.2 to 6.8) with moderate fertility and high organic matter.
Chinese and garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) are slightly less hardy, only to Zone 4 without extra winter protection.
Chinese and garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) grow up to 2 feet tall.
The common garden chive has pinkish lavender flowers. The cultivar ‘Forescate’ has rose red flowers. 'Corsica" and 'albiflorum' have white flowers. Chinese and garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) have white flowers.
Spreading clump of upright, grass-like leaves.
MAINTAINING
In spring or fall, direct seed onto well-prepared seedbed (covering very lightly), or transplant established plants. (If starting from seed, plants probably won’t be large enough to harvest for at least a year.)
Regular cutting helps keep plants vigorous and healthy and encourages spreading. Keep flowers picked to discourage dormancy in warm weather.
No fertilizer is needed if planted in reasonably fertile soil. Plants harvested frequently benefit from nitrogen top-dressing.
Divide and replant clump in fresh soil every three to five years.
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Heirloom seeds are the gardeners choice for seed-saving from year-to-year. Learning to save seeds is easy and fun with these books. Before you harvest, consider which varieties you might want to save seeds from so that your harvesting practice includes plants chosen for seed saving. Be sure to check out our newest seed packs, available now from Heirloom Organics. The Super Food Garden is the most nutrient dense garden you can build and everything you need is right here in one pack. The Genesis Garden s a very popular Bible Garden collection. The Three Sisters Garden was the first example of companion planting in Native American culture. See all of our brand-new seed pack offerings in our store.
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Harvesting Guide
HARVESTING
Pick chives any time during the growing season after the leaves are about 15 cm (6 inches) long. Pick only the leaves, as the flower stalks may be tough.
Harvest chives by hand, picking the leaves off at the base. Don't cut the leaves with scissors, as the resulting dieback has an unattractive brown edge.
Chives is best used fresh. Although the leaves can be frozen in ice cubes for later use, dried chives lack both color and flavor.
Pick chives flowers when they are just fully open.
Avoid harvesting garlic chives in the first year to enable the plant to develop a good root system. Thereafter, pick the leaves as required once they are about 15 cm (6 inches) long. Garlic chives leaves are very soft and quickly lose freshness. Like chives, they may be frozen, but should not be dried.
Pick the flower buds of garlic chives for fresh use or for drying. Flower stems are also edible.
SAVING SEEDS
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| You can find this variety in the following Seed Packs: |
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| Click the packs below to see some of our other wonderful products |
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