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How to Grow Chives Minimal care is needed for fully-grown, established plants. Although chives are drought tolerant, it’s important to give them consistent watering throughout the growing season for high yields. Chives’ small bulbs grow near the soil surface, so use mulch to conserve moisture and keep the weeds down.
Should you cut back chives?
When to cut back chives – Chives are extremely cold hardy, and will start growing in late winter or early spring. So, it’s best to cut them down to the ground in late fall. You can also cut them back again after they’re done blooming to promote growth.
Do chives like sun or shade?
Chives thrive in full sun and well drained soil rich in organic matter. Have your soil tested. A pH range of 6.0-7.0 is best. They tolerate light shade, but six to eight hours of direct light is best.
How often do you water chives?
For chives it is best to give the herb a thorough watering once or twice a week. You should then let the soil around the herb dry completely before you water again.
How do you harvest chives without killing the plant?
Cut as close as you can to the ground, using sharp cutting tools. Leave around 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) from the base of the plant. Harvest in a scattered manner, leaving around 2″ (5 cm) in sections, otherwise your chives won’t grow and have bare patches.
How do I make my chives thicker?
To make sure chives grow thicker, select organically rich, well-draining soils. Grow the herb in sandy-loam soils. These soils do not retain much water in the root section and are well-draining. Loam soils are a mixture of sand, clay, and silt.
How do you care for outdoor chives?
Chives grow best in full sun, though they will tolerate light shade. Soil needs to be moist, fertile, rich, and well-draining. Before planting, incorporate 4 to 6 inches of well-composted organic matter. Work compost into the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches.
Should I let chives flower?
There is really no harm in letting your chives flower. Well, your harvest might get smaller if you allow it but you get to enjoy eating these flowers too. Once chives produce flowers, their stalk gets hard and you cannot eat it.
Can chives grow outdoors?
You can sow chives seeds thinly outdoors in spring where you want them to grow. Prepare the soil well with added compost or other soil improver and rake to a fine tilth before sowing. Thin out the young plants to 23-30cm (9-12in) apart when large enough to handle.
How do you care for potted chives?
Some gardeners opt to let one pot of chives go to flower, as the plant produces attractive round, purple flower heads that are also edible. Keep chive plants moist, but not waterlogged, and fertilize with a liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength every four to six weeks.
How long do chive plants last?
Maintenance. Once chives are planted, they usually continue to grow year after year. If you keep your chives in the ground, the bunches should be separated and respaced every three or four years.
What climate do chives grow best in?
Growing season: Chives will grow in air temperatures from 40° to 85°F—spring through summer; plant chives in autumn or winter in mild-winter regions. Growing zones: Chives grow best in Zones 3 to 11. Chives are evergreen in mild-winter regions, but die back and go dormant in cold-winter regions.
How do I know when my chives are ready to harvest?
Thankfully, chives have a long harvest period. Their tiny green spikes pop out of the soil in early spring. Harvests begin as soon as those early leaves are 3 to 4 inches long. If the plant is treated properly throughout the growing season, the chive harvest continues.
Can you cut chives when flowering?
Cut the flower stalks off at the soil line to prevent the plant from forming seeds. This will encourage the plant to keep producing leaves, and you can utilize the flowers as garnish or tossed into salads. Chives can be used both fresh and dried but they lose quite a bit of their flavor when dried.
Can I transplant chives?
You can divide established chive plants in early spring or fall. Simply dig up the clump of bulbs, separate them into individual small clusters of bulbs, and replant. If you are dividing in fall, consider potting up a clump to grow indoors for winter.
Do chives come up every year?
They will come back in spring. After 3 or 4 years, each plant will have grown into clumps of smaller plants; divide them in early spring if desired.
What can I do with too many chives?
1 Top a Baked Potato. Share. One of the most glorious things to do with chives is to scatter them on top of a baked potato. 2 Garnish Creamy Soups. Share. 3 Make a Flavored Butter. Share. 4 Season Fish Fillets. Share. 5 Make a Salad. Share. 6 Cook up Some Eggs. Share. 7 Use in a Creamy Pasta Sauce. Share.
How do you keep chives growing in the summer?
Cut back the existing tired foliage, and water well. Site them somewhere well-lit under cover – a cold frame, greenhouse, hoop house or even a sunny windowsill indoors are all fine. Keep an eye on their moisture levels, and make sure not to over-water. Your chives will soon sprout new leaves.
Why are my chives falling over?
Once again, temperatures that are too high or too low (freezing or frost) makes your chives limp or floppy. At very low temperatures, your chives will become dormant. In case of unfavorable climatic conditions, bring the outdoor pots of chives indoors. Set them there until the unfavorable climatic conditions are over.
Can you dry fresh chives?
Cut chives into 1/4″ pieces, getting ready for drying. We often just air dry fresh chives. To do this, just chop or slice your chives and keep them in a shallow bowl, without a lid. Try to keep your chives in a single layer (for air circulation) as this will help your herbs dry fast.
