The brilliant green color , satisfying laconic compaction , and light onion relish of chives ( Allium schoenoprasum ) make them a required ingredient in many dish .

How of the essence and wonderful , then , to always have a pot of this easy - to - acquire genus Allium at the quick , when a fresh salad or a simmering entree calls out for its classifiable quality .

Chives are repeated inUSDA Hardiness Zones3 - 9 , so most gardener in the United States can safely leave them outdoors twelvemonth around .

A wooden container with a large flowering Allium schoenoprasum plant with other herbs. In the background is a lawn and a hedge in soft focus.

If you must bring them in ( I ’m look at you , North Dakota ! ) , then your supply of fresh schnittlaugh will be even tightlipped at paw !

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If you ’re new to growing chives , ensure out ourcomplete growing guide .

A vertical close up of a rectangular container with a flowering chive plant. The round purple flowers contrast with the bright green stems, against a stone background. To the center and bottom of the frame is green and white text.

What You’ll Learn

Use Nursery Starts

Your best bet is to purchase little chive plants from a local nursery and transplant them into a container of your selection .

Usually you ’ll find herbs in four - inch pots , and you may transfer one of those into a six- to eight - inch container that ’s at least six inches deep .

instead , you could plant several nursery plant in a large container . Space the plants about six inches aside .

A vertical close up of a rectangular container with a flowering chive plant. The round purple flowers contrast with the bright green stems, against a stone background. To the center and bottom of the frame is green and white text.

You ’ll want to habituate pots that have yap in the base to insure full drainage .   Use a sluttish , high - quality potting mix , or you could amend with perlite to improve the drain .

Plant your chive transplants at the same depth they were planted in their baby’s room container . pass on about half an inch inch between the top of the stain and the brim of the pot .

Transplant from the Garden

Alternatively , if you have chives already arise in the landscape painting , you could transfer some from the ground to a container .

To do this , begin by watering the ground around the chives you ’ll be grok up . This damp the soil for gentle dig .

Trim back the chive to about four in magniloquent , and perhaps use the trimmings in a great deal of oven fries with lemony green dressing and gruyere with this recipefrom our sister site , Foodal .

A vertical picture of a chive plant growing in a small terra cotta pot on a concrete surface with grass in the background in soft focus.

Using a pitchfork , softly loosen the filth around the clump of chives you wish to transplant .

Dig at least three inches cryptic , to avoid damaging the roots . Slide the pitchfork under the root of the clump and gently lift it away .

graft the thud into a container filled with lightheaded , high - quality potting mix , spacing as depict above .

A vertical close up of a bunch of fresh chives tied together with string, on a wooden chopping board, on a wooden surface. Some of the herb has been chopped, and pieces of it are scattered around.

Start from Seed

cive can also be grown from seed . Start them indoorsabout eight to 10 weeks before the first freeze if you plan to move your pots outside , or any time for an indoor herb garden .

If you ’re eager to savor your crop mighty by , keep in head that this wo n’t be your best option .

It can take up to a full year for your cum - grown plants to reach a mature enough stature that they ’re quick to harvest .

A close up of two hands, one holding scissors and the other holding the tops of a chive plant ready for snipping. In the background are other herbs growing in containers in bright sunshine.

learn more about how to go chives from cum here .

Care and Harvest

Water your freshly engraft cive well , and set the locoweed in an area that gets at least six hours of sun daily .

You may begin harvesting chives when the blades farm to be at least six column inch tall . Be sure to leave at least two inch of the plant integral – the blades will apace raise longer again .

You might desire to plant two or three smoke of chives , so that when you reap one , the others are still growing and will be ready when you need them .

A vertical picture of a pot containing a flowering Allium schoenoprasum plant. Bright purple, rounded blooms contrast with the bright green, upright stems. The plant is bathed in light sunshine and is set against a wooden fence.

Chives make an attractive centrepiece in a container planted with a variety of herbs .

Some nurseryman opt to allow one pot of chives go to bloom , as the flora produce attractive round , purple flower head that are also comestible .

Keep chive plants moist , but not waterlogged , and fecundate with a liquid fertilizer diluted to one-half lastingness every four to six week .

A close up of a small white pot containing a Allium schoenoprasum plant with bright green, thin, upright stems on a soft focus gray background.

Easy and Convenient

Growing chives in container offers many advantages .

propinquity to the kitchen is probably main among these benefit , but the ability to enjoy the attractive , homegrown , grasslike spikes of the plant ’s leaves in your cooking is sure as shooting rationality for a felicitous terpsichore as well .

Because the soil in container tend to dry out quickly , you ’ll require to ensure your pots are continue moist , and you may need to utilise fertilizer from time to time .

lop as need , leaving a couple of column inch of blades to regrow , and you ’ll have plenty of delicious herb for seasoning soup , salads , and baked potatoes !

If you ’d like more information about growing herbs in containers , check out these article next :

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Gretchen Heber