How I grow Chives
I’ve only grown chives from seed once and that was about 10 years ago. Since then they have happily self-seeded and multiplied wherever the fallen seed had decided to take root. Rather than start seeds in pots in spring, the previous autumn I cleared an area in the herb bed and sowed them directly into this patch. Sure enough, the seeds germinated the following March and by April I had plenty of onion-flavoured leaves mingling with my fennel, oregano and red-veined sorrel.
Chives are invasive plants, so keep them in check by removing some of the spent flowers before they turn to seed. Do this in late summer after the pollinators have had their fill.
March is a good month to divide clumps of emerging chive plants and settle them in their new positions. In April, I’ll enjoy their juvenile growth, then allow the rest to flower. While pollinators are attracted to the striking purple pom-pom flower heads atop each delicate green blade, it’s the leaves I’m a fan of, especially when chopped and added raw to potato salads. But did you know that the emerging flower buds are also useful and delicious? Steep fresh buds in white wine vinegar and within weeks you’ll have an amazing aromatic purple vinegar to add to salad dressings.
ALSO TRY
Another variety I like to grow is garlic chives, also known as Chinese chive, which have a wide flat-leaf blade, producing small white flower heads.
My latest addition, having sown seeds last autumn, is Allium nutans. It’s native to north-east Asia and has a few common names such as Siberian or blue chives. A tall variety, it will grow to 60cm with blue star-shaped flowers.