A clump of chives in flower with round purple blooms
How to grow

Chives

Takes a hard frost. A perennial for zones 4 to 8. Start indoors 6 to 10 weeks before your last frost; plant out up to 2 weeks before your last frost; sow outdoors up to 4 weeks before your last frost. First harvest 60 to 90 days from sowing.

Photo: “Allium schoenoprasum 2023-05-28 6376” by Salicyna, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.

  • Full sun to part shadeSome afternoon shade is fine
  • 4–12 in apartRows 12 in
  • 60–90 daysFrom sowing
  • pH 6.5–7.0Soil pH
  • HardyTakes a hard frost
  • Zones 4–8Comes back each year

Your dates

Put in your ZIP code to see when to start, plant and harvest chives where you live, from your own frost dates.

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From seed to harvest

  1. PlantSet in the groundWeek 0
  2. SproutFirst shoots showWeek 1–2
  3. Leaf growthLeaves fill outWeek 3–4
  4. Bulb swellsBulbs fattenWeek 6–8
  5. Tops fallLeaves flop and yellowWeek 8–9
  6. HarvestReady to pickWeek 8–10

How to plant and grow

  1. Start from seed

    Sow seed 1/4 inch deep indoors six to ten weeks before last frost, or sow outdoors in early spring.

  2. Or divide a clump

    The easy way: dig an older clump in early spring and split it into small bunches of four to six bulbs.

  3. Plant out

    Set plants out in spring, 4 to 12 inches apart, in sun and rich, well-drained soil. A light frost will not hurt them.

  4. Keep soil moist

    Water thoroughly when dry. Chives survive drought but grow slowly without water.

  5. Cut often

    Cut leaves 1 to 2 inches above the soil once plants are about 6 inches tall. Regular cutting keeps leaves tender.

  6. Deadhead flowers

    Remove flowers before they drop seed, or chives can spread across the bed.

  7. Divide every few years

    Divide crowded clumps every two to three years in spring to keep them vigorous.

Common problems

Onion thripsPest

What you'll see: Silvery streaks and blotches on leaves, with tiny black specks. The tiny, slender insects hide deep in the neck.

Prevent

  • Control weeds and remove onion culls and debris.
  • Overhead watering or heavy rain knocks numbers down.

Organic options

  • Insecticidal soap or spinosad, aimed down into the neck. Look for OMRI Listed products.

Conventional options

  • Several insecticides are labeled; check the crop is listed. Thrips grow resistant when one product is used over and over.

Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.

White onion maggots feeding inside a split leek stem
Photo: “Delia antiqua maggots at Allium porrum , uienvlieg maden op prei (1)” by Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.

Onion maggotPestNo spray helps

What you'll see: Young onions, garlic, leeks, shallots and chives wilt and yellow. Small white maggots tunnel in the bulb or stem, which may rot.

Prevent

  • Cover rows with row cover at planting, and bury the edges.
  • Plant far from last year's onions, and never cover ground that had maggots.
  • Remove culled onions and debris after harvest.

Organic options

  • Pull and destroy infested plants with the maggots in them.

Conventional options

  • None for home gardens. No insecticide is available to treat the soil before planting.
A cucumber leaf with yellow angular patches from downy mildew
Photo: “Pseudoperonospora cubensis 147541352” by blastcat, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).

Downy mildewDisease

What you'll see: Yellow patches on top of leaves, often boxed in by the veins, with gray to purple fuzz underneath; on shallots, whitish-gray growth on older leaves. Leaves brown and die, worst in cool, wet weather.

Prevent

  • Grow resistant varieties; basil sold as downy mildew resistant holds up far better.
  • Space plants, trellis vines and water at the base so leaves dry fast.
  • Remove and destroy infected plants promptly.

Organic options

  • Copper protects cucumber and melon leaves best when used before the disease arrives. Look for OMRI Listed products.

Conventional options

  • Chlorothalonil or mancozeb on vine crops, if labeled. On basil, home-garden sprays work poorly; grow resistant varieties.

Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.

Onion bulbs lifted to show diseased, discoloured roots
Photo: “Zwiebel Setophoma terrestris (Phoma) 3-DLR-NW-jk” by Jochen Kreiselmaier, DLR, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.

Pink rootDiseaseNo spray helps

What you'll see: Roots turn pink to purple, shrivel and die. Plants are stunted, with small bulbs.

Prevent

  • Grow onions and their relatives in a different bed for 3 to 6 years.
  • Grow tolerant varieties where offered.
  • Avoid planting onion-family crops right after corn.

Organic options

  • Pull and discard stunted plants.

Conventional options

  • None for home gardens.

Read and follow the product label: it is the law. It sets the rate, the crops it is for, and the days between spraying and picking. Products registered vary by state; for organic growing, look for products allowed under the USDA National Organic Program (OMRI Listed). We name active ingredients, not brands or rates.

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Sources

Planting dates and growing facts checked against these university extension and USDA pages:

Growth-stage drawings: TallyTill.

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