Chives

Allium schoenoprasum
Amaryllidaceae family

Introduction and History

Have you ever wondered why a recipe never called for a chive?  Or why no one ever talks about eating just one chive? Perhaps it is because they multiply so quickly and grow so closely together that when you go out to the garden to pick them you can’t pick just one.  Or perhaps it is because chives taste so good that no one can eat just one.

Chives have been eaten for nearly 5,000 years.  Native to the orient, they were probably first used by the Chinese and then the ancient Greeks. By the sixteenth century, they had earned a place in European  herb gardens.  When the colonists came to America, they brought chives along with other kitchen herbs and medicinal herbs.

Although medicinal virtues were found in most herbs, herbalist did not find much use for chives. Chives were thought to have magical power. Men and women believed that chives could drive away diseases and evil influences and so hung bunches of them in their homes.  Chives dry beautifully, so if they didn’t protect a home, at least they were decorative.

Special Features and Uses

Although historically men and women didn’t have much use for this plant other then cooking, today we have discovered many virtues, another reason why you can’t pick just one chive.

Culinary

Best known for their use in cooking, chives taste like sweet onions. Mince the fresh slender leaves and use as a garnish or use whole leaves tied decoratively around small bundles of veggies. Chives compliment many spices and vegetables. In fact, chives suit about every flavor except sweet. Don’t overlook the flowers. They can be tossed into a salad or use as a garnish. Chives are available commercially in freeze-dried, frozen and fresh forms.

Medicinal

Chives do send up hot vapors from a sulfur-rich oil found in all members of the onion genus. This oil is also responsible for the flavor and medicinal properties of Alliums.  Sulfur oil is an antiseptic that helps lower blood pressure, but only when used in fairly large quantities . Since chives have less of this oil then larger alliums, they have fewer medicinal applications.

Storage Note

Home-dried chives are unacceptable.

Ornamental

Chives work nicely into a variety of garden settings. They are rarely bothered by pest and whether clipped or blooming, keep their neat appearance. They can be used as an edging for a bed.

Companion Planting

As a companion plant to roses, chives are said to prevent black spot.  They might also help deter Japanese beetles, apple scab, peach leaf curl and mildew on cucumbers.  Chives are also recommended companion plants for carrots, grapes and tomatoes.

Hardiness

A perennial hardy to zone 3.

Growth Habit

Chives reach a height of 18 inches, width one to inches across the first year from seed, and reach to 10 to 14 inches across at maturity.

Bloom Time

In early summer a flowering stem shoots up from the bulb.  A pale purple flower forms a dense, globular umbel at the top of the stem that is approximately one inch in size.

Propagation

Chives can be started from seeds or divisions. Start indoors six to eight weeks before setting out anytime after last frost.  Seeds can also be direct sown into the garden in spring or in late fall for spring germination.  Divisions can be planted in spring as soon as the soil is workable.   Divide and transplant every four to five years to renew their vigor.

Germination

Seeds germinate in 10 to 14 days at temperatures between 60°F and 70°F. They require constant moisture. Sow by sprinkling on the top of soil and watering in.

Container Gardening

Chives can be brought indoors for fresh harvest all winter long. Dig up a clump in late summer and plant them in a pot. Leave the pot outside for several months to insure that the tops die back and the roots freeze. The bulbs need a cold dormant period in order to send out leaves again. Then bring indoors and place on a sunny window sill.  Plants will sprout within a few weeks and you'll soon be able to snip fresh leaves again.

Soil

Moderately rich, well drained soil is best. The pH can range between 6.0 and 8.0.

Sunlight

Chives prefer full sun but can tolerate partial shade

Pests and Disease

None noted.

References

Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs
by Claire Kowalchik and William H. Hylton (Editors)

Culinary Herbs by Maggie Oster
A National Home Gardening Club book

High-Yield Gardening
by Marjorie B. Hunt and Brenda Bortz

The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening
by Organic Gardening Magazine