Everything you need to know about growing chives
Growing chives is one of the easiest ways to have fresh herbs for your kitchen any time you need them. Chives are perfect to add to any recipe that calls for onions. They taste just like onions, but they’re easier to grow and store for longer periods of time. There are many different varieties of chives. For example, garlic chives are perfect to keep around in case you run out of garlic. Chives are one of the most versatile herbs you’ll find. They even repel aphids if you find yourself in a bind with the pests attacking your favorite plants.
You’ll start out growing chives by preparing the soil. Make sure you’ve weeded the area well because chives are known for being easily choked out by weeds. You’ll also have to weed them frequently while you’re growing chives for the same reason. You can help your chives thrive by adding compost to the soil. This will provide the right nutrients for your chives.
The best way to start growing chives is from seedlings. You can purchase seedlings from your garden center or start your own seedlings inside in a pot. If you start them in a pot, just plant the seeds early in the year and wait until they are large enough to move outside. Don’t forget to water your chives while they are in the pot so they will grow hardy enough to tolerate being moved.
You’ll want to plant your chives in bunches, with about five bulbs per punch. Plant your bunches of chives about a foot apart. The reason this tiny plant should be planted so far apart is because it does tend to spread quite rapidly. Just keep the bed weeded and watch out for other plants to sneak in between your chives. After a few years, you’ll want to thin out your chives, but for the first couple of years you can just enjoy the extra chives.
Choose a place in your garden that’s mostly sunny but offers a little bit of shade for those hot summer days. You’ll need to keep the soil around your chives moist, but make sure that it drains properly because chives prefer dryer soil rather than drenched. Use organic compost right after you plant the chives, although you probably won’t need any other fertilizer after they’re planted. In some cases you will need fertilizer once a month, but this is pretty rare and only happens in areas where the soil is extremely poor.
While you’re growing chives, you’ll be able to harvest them as you need them. Just use a pair of scissors to cut off the plants. Make sure that you leave about two or three inches of leaf on the plant so it will continue growing. The growing season is over when the flowers dry out and die. Just cut back the entire plant to allow more chives to grow. You may even enjoy looking at the beautiful flowers chives grow!