Allium Schoenoprasum - Chives

Growing Information: Give chives full sun and well-drained soil of average fertility. Space plants about 18 inches apart. When the flowers begin to fade, cut them all off at the base of the plant if you want to prevent them from self-sowing. Some flowers may appear sporadically through the summer, so keep your eye out for them - they make excellent cut flowers. In late summer, you can dig up a plant or two and put them in large pots to keep in a cool windowsill or light garden for winter harvests. Leave the pots outdoors until after a few frosts for best indoor leaf production.

Propagation: Chives are easy to start from seed. Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the last spring frost. Set them out when the weather is mild. Or transplant a self-sown seedling that's emerged in your garden, or divide a mature plant. Renew older plants by dividing every 5 years or so.

Cultivars: 'Ruby Gem' has gray foliage and red flowers.

Possible Problems: Plant in well-drained soil to prevent root rot.

Harvesting and Using: When you harvest the leaves or flowers, cut them off at the base to keep it looking tidy. Use the fresh foliage with eggs, cream cheese, salads, soups, butters, and burgers. You can chop up extra leaves by hand or puree them with a little oil to make a pesto to freeze. Use the flowers to garnish salads or soups, and to make lavender-colored vinegar. Be sure to wash the flowers out well, though, because they may harbor insects.

Related Herbs: Garlic or oriental chives (A. tuberosum) have a pleasant garlic flavor long used in oriental cooking. They have flat leaves that reach a foot high and edible, fragrant, white flowers during the summer. They spread reasonably slowly on rhizomes but can be more aggressive about self-sowing. Harvest as you would regular chives. Propagate by division or transplant self-sown seedlings.