How to Take Care of Chives
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum), a member of the onion and garlic family, produce a delicate onion flavor when partnered with potatoes and soups. You can grow chives in any United States Department of Agriculture zone from 3 to 9. A perennial plant, even its flowers are edible and you can use them to decorate salads. Consider using chives as an edging plant where their arching foliage and purple or white flowers will complement your garden. In addition to regular chives, garlic chives have a slightly more pungent flavor. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Select a sunny site for optimum growth of your chives although they can grow well in light shade.
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Fertilize moderately with a balanced fertilizer once or twice a season before mid-August. After mid-August, stop fertilizing to allow the chives to rest and store energy for the winter.
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Do not allow the chive plants to dry out; water once a week during hot weather.
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Check chives for thrips on the leaves; thrips cause the leaves to distort. If your chives get thrips, threat them by releasing predatory mites.
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Look for pale yellow to light-green spots on the chive leaves, which is a sign of downy mildew. If you find these light spots, remove the affected leaves. If you are growing the chives indoors, reduce the humidity or increase the air circulation near the chives.
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Harvest the chives frequently by cutting them with a sharp pair of scissors, but do not harvest all leaves at once. After flowering, cut the chives at ground level.
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Use a shovel to dig up and divide your chives in the spring or early fall to rejuvinate them and to get more chive plants. Chives can be divided to just a few leaves and they will fill out in two to three years.
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Winterize chives by mulching them lightly.
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Tips & Warnings
Garlic chives have purple flowers while regular chives have white flowers.
References
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