How to Grow Chives
Allium schoenoprasum
A no-fuss perennial allium with mild onion flavor and edible purple flowers.
By the Plants by Zone Editorial Team · Reviewed June 1, 2026
About chives
Chives are among the easiest herbs to grow — a clumping perennial allium that pops up early each spring and keeps giving with almost no care. Their slender hollow leaves add a mild onion flavor, and the pretty pom-pom flowers are edible and loved by bees. One clump can be divided to fill a whole border.
When to plant and harvest chives
Timing is relative to your frost dates. Find your USDA zone for exact dates, or browse the month-by-month calendars.
Start seeds indoors
8–10 weeks before last frost
Transplant outdoors
Around last frost
Direct sow
Early spring
Harvest
Spring through fall
How to grow chives step by step
- 1
Start from seed or, more easily, plant a division from an existing clump.
- 2
Set in sun to light shade in moist, fertile soil.
- 3
Snip leaves with scissors once clumps are established, cutting an inch above the soil.
- 4
Let some flowers bloom for the bees, then shear spent blooms to prevent heavy self-seeding.
- 5
Divide clumps every 2–3 years in spring to keep them vigorous.
- 6
Pot up a clump in fall to grow on a windowsill through winter.
Common problems growing chives
⚠ Clumps get crowded and weak
Divide every 2–3 years in spring, replanting the healthy outer sections.
⚠ Aggressive self-seeding
Shear off the flower heads after blooming before the seeds drop.
⚠ Tips browning in summer
Usually heat or dryness — shear the clump back and it flushes fresh, tender new leaves.
✓ Good companions for chives
✗ Keep away from
🧺 Harvesting chives
Snip whole leaves at the base with scissors rather than just the tips, and the clump keeps producing all season. Cutting a clump right back even spurs a fresh flush of tender new growth — and the purple flowers are edible too.
Chives: frequently asked questions
Do chives come back every year?＋
Yes — chives are a hardy perennial that returns reliably each spring, often one of the first edibles up in the garden.
Can you eat chive flowers?＋
Absolutely — the purple pom-pom blooms are edible with a mild oniony bite, lovely scattered over salads. Shear spent flowers to limit self-seeding.
Grow chives in your zone
See exactly when to plant and what else to grow alongside chives, tailored to your USDA hardiness zone.
