Perennial allium
How to grow chives
Allium schoenoprasum
Chives are a fully hardy perennial that grows in any fertile, moisture-retentive soil in sun or light shade. Sow indoors in March or April, or plant or divide clumps in March or September, 20 to 30 cm apart. Cut the whole clump down to 3 to 5 cm rather than snipping tips, feed and water after each cut, and divide every three or four years to keep it vigorous.
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy
- Position
- Sun to light shade
- Soil
- Fertile, moisture-retentive
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 7.0
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Moderate feeder
Sowing and planting chives
WhenSow Mar to Apr or divide Mar/Sep; harvest Apr to Oct
Starting off
Sow indoors Mar to Apr at 18 to 21°C or direct Apr to May, 1 cm deep; germination takes 10 to 21 days. Sow 10 seeds per module and plant the whole clump. Divide established clumps every three or four years in Mar or Sep into pieces of 5 to 10 bulbs, replanting at the same depth.
Spacing and planting
Plant clumps 20 to 30 cm apart, sowing 1 cm deep; a pinch of seed per module gives a ready-made clump. Fine in a 15 cm pot or along the edge of a window box.
Varieties worth growing
- Common chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
- The standard fine-leaved form, with mauve edible flowers in May and June. Easy from seed and the best all-rounder.
- 'Staro'
- Thicker, sturdier leaves that hold up better to freezing and chopping. A good choice if you grow chives mainly for the kitchen.
- 'Forescate'
- Taller, with larger rosy-pink flower heads. Grown as much for the border edge as the pot, and usually bought as a plant.
- Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum)
- A separate species with flat leaves, a mild garlic flavour and white flowers in late summer. Slower to bulk up, and grown in the same way.
Chives month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Nothing to do outdoors. Cut from a clump potted up for the windowsill.
- February
Clear dead leaves as the first green shoots show. Put a cloche over one clump for an earlier cut.
- March
Feed as growth starts. Lift and divide clumps older than three or four years. Sow indoors.
- April
Sow direct, or plant out module-raised clumps. First cuts.
- May
Cut regularly. Flowers open: pick them for salads or leave them for the bees.
- June
Shear the whole clump to 3 to 5 cm once flowering is over, then water and feed.
- July
Cut again as the clump regrows. Water in dry spells.
- August
Keep cutting. Watch for rust and cut affected clumps to the ground.
- September
Divide congested clumps. Pot up a small clump for winter leaves indoors.
- October
Last cuts. Freeze any surplus.
- November
Leaves die back naturally. Clear them away.
- December
Nothing to do. The clump is dormant.
Feeding chives
A moderate feeder for a herb, because every cut removes the whole top. One balanced feed in March and a lighter one after the midsummer cut is enough; more nitrogen than that gives soft growth that rusts.
Moderate, a spring feed and steady moisture keep the leaves tender.
Feeding plan
March, as growth starts
About 100 g/m², which is roughly 9 g (a dessertspoon) over the 30 cm square a clump occupies. Scratch it in and water.
June or July, after the hard cut-back
Half the label rate is plenty: 50 g/m², or about 5 g per clump, watered in well.
Potting up
5 g per litre of compost mixed through: 20 g for a 20 cm pot holding about 4 litres.
Pots, March and after the midsummer cut
2 g per litre of compost on the surface, watered in: about 8 g for a 4 litre pot each time.
Any time a cut clump is slow to regrow
1 g per litre of water as a drench, repeated after 2 to 3 weeks if needed.
Signs to watch
Thin, yellow-tipped leaves on a hungry bed
Nitrogen short
A balanced feed in Mar and after each cut-back
Pale, sparse growth in an old clump
Congestion
Divide in Mar
Pests, diseases and problems
Bright orange pustules on the leaves in summer and autumn, leaves yellowing
Leek rust, a fungus that affects chives, leeks and garlic, worst in damp weather and on soft, heavily fed growth
Cut the clump to the ground and bin the leaves; the regrowth is usually clean. Space clumps for air flow and do not overdo nitrogen.
Rows of small white dots on the leaves, then twisted, distorted leaves; small brown pupae in the base
Allium leaf miner, which lays eggs in March to April and again from September to November
Cover with fine insect mesh during both egg-laying periods where the pest is known locally. Cut affected clumps to the base and bin the leaves.
Leaves with papery white patches and small caterpillars tunnelling inside
Leek moth caterpillars, mainly in southern England but spreading north
Cut back hard and destroy the leaves; cover with insect mesh through the growing season in gardens where it recurs.
Leaves yellow and wilt, white fluffy mould with tiny black dots at the base of the bulbs
Onion white rot, a soil-borne fungus that persists for many years
Dig out the clump with the soil around it and bin it. Do not grow any alliums in that spot again; start new chives in a pot of fresh compost.
Clump dies back to yellow straw in midsummer
Drought, or exhaustion after flowering
Cut to 3 cm, water thoroughly and feed lightly. New leaves follow in three to four weeks.
Harvest and rotation
Harvest and storage
Cut from 8 to 10 weeks after sowing, with a proper crop in year two. Shear the whole clump to 3 to 5 cm above the soil with scissors; it regrows in 3 to 4 weeks for four or five cuts a season of around 50 g each. Freeze chopped chives in bags or ice cubes, as dried chives are tasteless.
Rotation and companions
Rotation: allium group with onions, leeks and garlic, 3-year gap. Keep it away from peas and beans, which alliums are reputed to check.
Good to knowCut regularly to encourage fresh growth and lift and divide the clumps every few years.
Growing chives in pots
Chives are among the easiest herbs for a pot. A 15 cm pot holds one clump for a season; a 20 cm pot or the end of a window box gives it room for two or three years. Use multipurpose or loam-based compost and keep it moist, since chives in a dry pot turn yellow and thin quickly. Divide and repot in fresh compost every second March. For winter leaves, pot up a piece of the clump in September, leave it outside until it has had a few frosts, then bring it onto a cool, bright windowsill.
Chives: common questions
How do you cut chives so they keep growing?
Cut the leaves right down to 3 to 5 cm above the soil with scissors, a whole clump or half a clump at a time. Snipping only the tips leaves brown ends and tough old leaves. Water after cutting and the clump regrows in three to four weeks, giving four or five cuts a season.
Should I let my chives flower?
Yes if you like, as the flowers are edible and very good for bees, but cut the clump back hard as soon as they fade. Left alone, the flower stalks are tough and the plant self-seeds. For the most leaf, cut the flower stems out as they appear.
Do chives come back every year?
Yes, chives are a fully hardy perennial. The leaves die back in November and new shoots appear in February or March. Clumps weaken after three or four years, so lift, split into pieces of 5 to 10 bulbs and replant in March or September.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.