Chives are plants that belong to the onion family, but unlike most onions, the part that is harvested is the leaves, not the tubers. Compared to regular onions, chives have a much milder taste. This small, grass-like green plant is usually used as an ingredient in soups, salads and sauces because of its mild taste and good aesthetic appeal. Whether it's cooked or used as an add-on to your garden, the process of growing chives from choosing the species to plant, preparing the land, planting and harvesting them is actually quite easy.
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Part 1 of 4: Choosing the Type of Chives
Step 1. Consider growing chives for cooking
Chives, or common chives, are the most popular variant of this plant. Onion chives usually have a slight onion taste and aroma and are used in salads and in a variety of recipes as a flavor enhancer. These chives can grow to a length of 20. 3 to 30.5 cm, and are light and dark green in color. This plant has a tubular stalk that is hollow in the middle.
Step 2. Consider growing garlic chives for cooking
Also known as Chinese chives, garlic chives are the type of chives used in cooking. These chives smell like violets when the stalks are crushed, but taste similar to garlic. Because of this, chives are generally used to give garlic flavor to dishes. Unlike onion chives, garlic chives have flat stems and flowers that can be used for cooking (usually for stir fry). Garlic chives are dark green in color, and grow to a length of 30.5 to 45.7 cm.
Step 3. Consider growing Siberian giant chives
Despite its great name, Siberian giant chives are just a slightly larger variant than chives. These chives have the strongest flavor, but are commonly used in gardens because of their size (50.8 to 76.2 cm tall) around the field. Siberian giant chives are blue-green in color, and have a tube-like shape. This plant has an onion-like taste and aroma when cooked.
Step 4. Consider growing chives for the flowers
Although many people think that this plant can only be used as a complement to baked potatoes, chives are actually a type of lily that has beautiful purple flowers. The flowers are coin-sized and have many small, thin petals that are similar to dandelion flowers. Chives can attract plants that can be beneficial for your garden, and can kill unwanted pests and insects that may come to damage your garden and plants. In addition, chives can also be eaten and used for your cooking recipes.
- Cut the flowers before they are fully bloomed, and add them to salads or use them as cake decorations.
- All varieties of chives must have flowers.
Part 2 of 4: Preparing to Plant
Step 1. Choose a planting method
There are two ways to grow chives: using an existing plant or using its seeds or seeds. Most people recommend growing from bulbs or cloves or from an existing chives plant, as growing chives from seed takes two whole years. If you want to grow using existing plants (and can be obtained or purchased), choose plants that are bright green, complete, and at least 7,6 to 12,7cm long. This is a sign that the chive is healthy, and increases the chances that it will thrive in your garden.
- Planting by seed requires that you start the seeds indoors a few months before planting them outdoors, and then transplant them in the spring. The seeds will grow into plants, but cannot be harvested for up to two years.
- Chives grow into tubers that will divide every three to four years, so you can replant bulbs that split off from your neighbors' land, and use them to grow new crops.
- Growing from seed or tubers is the same process for the outdoor stage of planting. But for seeds you have to take an additional step before starting to plant them outdoors.
Step 2. Choose an area that gets full sun
Chives are plants that like sunlight. Although it can still grow in the dark, this plant will give its best results when it receives full sun as it grows. Look for areas in your garden that are exposed to the sun all day. If your garden is infrequently exposed to sunlight, choose a spot that gets at least four to six hours of sun to meet the sunlight needs of your plants.
Step 3. Prepare your garden soil
While some plants can grow in dense, hard soil, chives need loamy, light, sandy soil that has good drainage. If the soil in your field has a lot of loam and is very dense, mix in a little sand to make it a little lighter. Also, add compost or fertilizer for the garden to mix and add nutrients to the soil. If possible, amend the soil four to six weeks before planting so the soil has time to adjust to your changes.
Step 4. Balance the acid content or pH of the soil before using it for planting
Chives need soil that has an acidity or pH between 6 to 7. Check the soil. If you find the pH is too low, increase it by cutting limes into the soil with a garden shovel or small trowel. If the pH is too high, lower it by mixing the fertilizer with urea phosphate or ammonium nitrate, or by adding compost, fertilizer, or planting litter or manure.
- Check the pH of the soil using cabbage for a method that is easy and can be used by everyone.
- You can check soil pH using a test kit that can be purchased at a store for an accurate measurement.
Step 5. Know when to plant
Chives are plants that bloom in summer and are best planted in early spring. If you are growing using seeds, start planting about eight to 10 months before you plant them outdoors. Planting them outdoors should begin one to two weeks after the winter ice melts, which is around March or April (depending on where you live).
Part 3 of 4: Planting Chives
Step 1. Water the soil to prevent transplant shock
Before planting chives, water and moisten the soil with a hose until it is damp. This will prevent any transplant shocks that can occur to new chives in your garden. Make sure the soil isn't muddy or cloudy, but is moist enough to form lumps when kneaded by hand.
- The transplant shock is the reaction of the plant when it is lifted and transferred to a new field, and it is a normal thing to happen. However, this can cause problems if the plant is not treated after transplanting.
- Your plant may experience this shock if it looks shriveled and unhealthy.
Step 2. Dig the soil to a depth of 5, 1 to 10, 2
Chives grow from small tubers at the bottom in the soil that need to be covered when planted. These bulbs are usually small, so a hole only 5, 1 to 10 deep, of the same width should suffice.
Step 3. Plant the chives
Put each chive into each hole, and cover or bury the soil again. Make sure the soil is not on top of the stems as this will slow down the growth of the chives.
Step 4. Water the chives every few days
The soil should be moist when you water the chives, which means you don't need to water again immediately after planting. Chives don't require too much water, so only water when the soil is dry. How often you water the plant depends on the weather in your area, and can vary from one to three days.
Step 5. Add fertilizer every month
Your chives will grow better if you add a little fertilizer every three to four weeks. Choose a 20-20-20 mixed fertilizer (representing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium each), and spread it over the soil according to the fertilizer package instructions.
Step 6. Add a layer of straw or leaves to prevent weeds
If you're concerned about weeds in your garden, add a layer of hay on top of the soil to block them out. Straw is a type of compost that can be found in many garden tools. Add a layer of 2.5 to 5.1 at ground level to block weeds and lock moisture in the soil for a longer time.
Step 7. Always be aware of pests and diseases
Some pests are attracted to chives, and onion pests, such as onion flies, may be tempted to damage your chives if you plant onions nearby. Some fungal diseases also occasionally attack your chives. Pesticides or fungicides in small doses should solve your problem for this.
Part 4 of 4: Harvesting Chives
Step 1. Harvest your chives when they are 17.8 to 25.4 cm tall
The general size of your chives will depend on the variety you are growing. But all variants should be able to be harvested when they reach a height of 17.8 to 25.4 cm. This usually occurs in mid-summer, and will continue to grow until the weather cools below freezing. In some areas where winters are not too cold, chives will continue to grow and produce crops that can be harvested for up to a year.
Step 2. Cut the chives about 5 cm from the base
Use garden shears or regular shears to cut your chives crosswise, from the outer layer of the plant. Cut about 5 cm from the base of the plant, as this will stimulate new growth for the next harvest. Don't harvest the whole plant at once, because that will stop the next growth process. Also, don't cut at an angle, as that will allow the moisture to dissipate more quickly than if you cut it crosswise. This is because cutting at an angle will expose more of the stem, so the plant's moisture will be lost more quickly.
Step 3. Harvest your chives three to four times a year
For best results, harvest your chives in the summer and late fall three to four times a year. Don't harvest the whole plant at once. Just cut the parts you need from one field, and harvest the field three to four times each year.
Step 4. Pick or cut the flowers when they have started to sow
Chives can be a plant that can reproduce quickly because this plant can sow itself and pollinate so that it will dominate your entire garden area. To prevent this, cut the flowers when harvesting. This will prevent the flowers from pollinating and multiplying in your garden arbitrarily. Cut the flowers for each chive.
Step 5. Cut all the chives at the end of the growing season
Cutting all the chives in late fall will help you when trying to grow better chives next summer. Use your pruning shears to trim the tops of the entire plant about 2.5 to 5.1 from the base. This cut should be done in October or November. Chives are perennial plants, so they will continue to grow back on their own as long as they are cared for properly.
Step 6. Remove the chives every three to four years
As a result of continuing to grow them for several years, the chives will become quite large. To prevent the chives from taking over your garden and causing chaos, separate your chives every few years. Chives are one type of tuber, so they can divide easily. Simply dig up the soil to find the tubers, separating each large plant part into one-third size. Replant individual plants that have been divided, or remove excess plants if they are not needed.
- Consider replanting your excess chives under or at the base of an apple tree. Chives grown here will prevent a disease called apple scab that sometimes attacks apple trees.
- Chives are said to repel deer, so consider planting your excess chives in places where deer are likely to disturb or damage your garden.
Tips
- Picking the blooming flowers and sprinkling them on the surface of the pizza will add a spicy flavor to your pizza.
- If you get more chives than you actually need, chop them and freeze them in water until you want to use them. Don't dry your chives, as that will make the flavor go away.
- If you prefer to use organic fertilizers rather than chemical ones, fish emulsion is a great option.
- You can eat chives that are not fully ripe or mature, if you really need to to prevent pollination. The taste may be lighter than usual, but still noticeable.
- If you're cooking with chives, don't add them before the end of the process, as the heat will reduce the flavor of the chives.
