How to grow... Chives
Rocket Growing Guides
Chives look great in a pot outside the kitchen – they are nice and easy to grow and you get lovely purple flowers from them. Sprinkle them into a potato salad or a dressing, or chop them into a creamy vichysoisse soup.
Chives are a Perennial – This means that it “dies” down at the end of the season, but comes back to life again year after year
- Chives Growing Guide
How to Plant Chives
- Chives will do really well in full sun, but they will also tolerate light shade.
- Plant 10-15cm apart in fertile soil – either in the ground or they look great in pots!
How to Grow Chives
- Water regularly during hot, dry spells
- After flowering, the flower heads will produce a lot of seeds. These will reseed all over the place if you leave them to their own devices, so do pull of dead flower heads if you want to keep them under control!
Common Pests and Problems with Chives
- Brown/yellow tips – this is probably a sign that the plants need a little more water. They will benefit from a worm cast tea to keep them green and healthy.
How to Harvest and Store Chives
- Use a pair of scissors to cut off chives 2-3 cm from the base of the plant. They will soon grow back.
- Pick your chives as soon as they are tall enough. Be sure to leave about 5cm of the stem when you cut them so that they’ll grow back again.
- The flowers can be eaten too – tear the individual flowers off from the main stem (if you look closely you’ll see there is a clump of flowers growing on a single stem) and sprinkle over salads and pasta dishes for a light oniony flavour. It’s very decorative!
