Chives
Onions and garlic · Allium schoenoprasum · Onion family · Perennial
A perennial clump for years: cut it often, divide every 3–4 years. Purple flowers in May feed bees; its smell confuses carrot fly.
Divisions in spring or autumn, or seed in spring
How it grows
| Sun | Full sun |
|---|---|
| Moisture | Normal |
| Soil | any |
| Spacing | 25 cm |
| Rotation group | Perennials (permanent bed) |
| How to plant | sets, tubers, cloves or plants |
| Green manure before it | Phacelia |
| Protector plant | Pot marigold |
When to sow, by climate zone
| Zone | In the ground | Sow indoors | Sow again for autumn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | early May – mid-May | ||
| Zone 4 | late Apr – early May | ||
| Zone 5 | mid-Apr – mid-May | ||
| Zone 6 | early Apr – late May | ||
| Zone 7 | mid-Mar – mid-May | ||
| Zone 8 | early Mar – late Apr | ||
| Zone 9 | early Feb – early Apr |
Dates for the average frost dates of each zone; the app works them out for your own town.