How to Plant Chives

Chives, valued for their mild, onion-like flavor and their use as a garnish, are one of the easiest edible plants to grow in your garden. They grow indoors as well as out with the same ease of planting and care. Harvesting them is just as simple, you only need to snip off what you need in the kitchen that day with a pair of scissors. A perennial herb, chives will produce all through the warm months and return the next year to grace your garden and your table.

Things You'll Need

• Organic compost Seeds

Instructions

1. Mix an organic compost into the soil. Chives prefer a rich soil such is what is found in most vegetable gardens.

2. Plant the seeds 1/4 inch under the surface of the soil after all danger of frost has passed. Water thoroughly.

3. Alternately, start chives indoors in a dark place at room temperature. Move them to a well-lit windowsill once they have germinated.

4. Keep the chives well watered until they sprout in about 14 to 28 days. Continue to water the chives regularly throughout the season.

Tips & Warnings

• Chives help repel aphids when planted near affected plants. Chives grow best in zones 3 through 9.

• Avoid harvesting until the plants are approximately a foot tall.

References

• Gardening Know How