HerbChive
Common Chives
Allium
Common Chives is the essential onion herb that every gardener should have growing within arm's reach of the kitchen. This hardy perennial thrives in zones 4-8 and reaches just 12 inches tall, making it a natural fit for containers, garden beds, or a pot on the windowsill. Sow seeds outdoors 4-6 weeks before your last frost date once soil hits 45°F, or start them indoors 6-8 weeks earlier for transplanting. You'll have tender, mild onion-flavored leaves ready to snip within weeks, and the delicate purple flowers that follow are as beautiful as they are edible.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
4-8
Sunlight
Partial Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam; Tolerates Various Soils
Preferred Temp60-75°F
Growth Stats
12 in
Height
10 in
Width
8 in
Spacing
—
Days to Harvest
PeriodPerennial
TypeForb/herb
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Partial Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
4-8
Size
12in H x 10in W
Growth
Perennial
Care
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
This is the chive that needs almost nothing from you once established. Space plants 8 inches apart in full sun to partial shade, and they'll reward you with continuous harvests throughout the growing season. The compact 12-inch height and 8-10 inch spread mean you can tuck chives into almost any garden corner, and they're equally happy in containers. Once the plants mature, you'll find yourself using them constantly, snipping fresh leaves for soups, eggs, salads, and garnishes without ever depleting the plant.
Common Uses
Chives are the cook's workhorse herb, snipped fresh into omelets, scattered over baked potatoes, stirred into sour cream and cream cheese dips, and layered into soups. The delicate hollow leaves provide a gentle onion flavor that doesn't overpower, while the pretty purple flower heads are an edible garnish that brings color and subtle flavor to summer salads and cheese platters.
Growing Timeline
First Bloom
Late Spring
First Harvest
Early Summer
Last Harvest
Mid-fall
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your average last frost date. Sow at a depth of 1/4 inch in moist seed-starting mix and keep at 45-70°F. Transplant seedlings outdoors 6-8 weeks before your average last frost date once they've developed true leaves and the soil can be worked.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant hardened-off seedlings into the garden 6-8 weeks before your average last frost date, spacing them 8 inches apart in both directions. Choose a location with full sun to partial shade and soil that drains reasonably well.
Direct Sow
Sow seeds directly outdoors 4-6 weeks before your average last frost date, or as late as 2 months before your average first fall frost date, once soil temperature reaches at least 45°F. Press seeds into the soil at a depth of 1/4 inch and keep the bed consistently moist until germination.
Harvesting
Begin harvesting leaves once the plant reaches 6-8 inches tall by cutting from the outside of the clump, working toward the center. Snip individual leaves as needed throughout the season, or cut the entire plant down to 1-2 inches and let it regrow. The purple flower heads are edible and can be snipped off and used as garnish; harvesting them also keeps energy focused on leaf production.
Pruning
Pinch off flower buds if you want to extend the leaf-harvesting season, though allowing some flowers to bloom rewards you with beautiful edible garnishes and encourages re-growth. Cutting the outer stems regularly encourages the center to fill in and produces bushier plants.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Allium schoenoprasum L.
Family
Amaryllidaceae
Genus
Allium
Duration
Perennial
Native Status
L48 (NI)AK (NI)CAN (NI)