How to grow Chives

Interested in growing Chives for your next herb garden? This guide covers sun requirements, planting times, feeding and watering, harvesting tips, and common pests and diseases.

Chives do best in well draining soil with plenty of compost mixed in.

Chives do best in a full to part sun position.  

Yes. Chives are a hardy perennial that will die back in winter and re-surface in spring.

Plant chives roughly 20cm apart.

Sow or transplant in spring once the danger of frost has passed. Chives can also be sown indoors in late winter and transplanted in spring. 

If transplanting seedlings, plant out in the early morning or evening and/or on an overcast day. Avoid planting at peak sun times or on windy days, this will allow your plants to settle in comfortably and protect them from windburn and sunburn. 

Feeding your Chive plants is not essential if the soil is prepared well before planting. However, if plants begin to show signs of deficiency, feed with a light application of organic fertiliser.  

Harvest your Chives by trimming a few centimetres above ground level. 

Pests that affect Chives include: Aphids, Slug, Snail, Allium Leaf Miner, Thrips, Onion Maggot. 

Diseases that affect Chives include: Allium White Rot, Downy Mildew. 

Chives produce beautiful round white flowers in late summer. If left on the plant, flowers will produce black seeds, you can collect these for next season.

Chives may become a little tougher in texture during mid to late summer. 

Chives can become invasive if left to go to seed. Cut back the flowers if you don't want them re-seeding in the garden.