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- Grow chives from seed through direct seeding the garden. Prepare the garden bed in spring as soon as the ground thaws and is ready to work. Spread a 4- to 6-inch-layer of compost over the garden bed and work it into the top 8 inches of the soil. Plant chive seeds 1/2 inch deep. Plant 10 to 20 chive seeds together, in clumps spaced 12 to 15 inches apart. The seeds germinate and emerge in seven to 21 days provided the soil temperature remains between 45 and 95 F.
- Start chive seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date in your area. When the growing season gets underway, you already have chive plants ready to go in the garden. Chives take seven to 21 days to emerge and another four weeks until ready to transplant. Start chive seeds in seed-starting flats filled with seed-starting soilless mix. Keep the soil around the seeds between 60 and 70 F for best germination results.
- Grow chives from starts either purchased at the market or grown indoors in seed flats. Grown from starts, chives come ready to harvest 30 days after planting. In contrast, growing chives from direct seeding requires 60 days between planting and harvest. Harvest chives by cutting a few leaves 2 inches above the soil line as needed in the kitchen. Continually harvesting chives keeps the plants producing. Remove the flowers as they fade to keep chives from going to seed.
- Divide chives every three to five years to keep the plants healthy and to add plants to the garden. Chives are cold-tolerant perennials that grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9. Once planted, chives come back each year from the hardy rootstock. Divide by digging out a clump of chives and separating it into sections 2 to 3 inches wide. Replant the chive divisions in the soil or in pots.
Direct Seeding
Starting Seeds Indoors
Growing Chives from Starts
Dividing Chives
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