Why chives? - Kitchen Garden Magazine

Chives are not only great in the kitchen but they’re a truly beautiful herb when left to flower

I do get impatient waiting for spring onions to mature so I tend to use chives in salads instead. They’re easy to cultivate and, as a perennial herb, they’re there for cutting year on year. If you have a herb patch, the long, spiky shoots of chives offer a great visual contrast to the more leafy herbs such as oregano, sage and mint.

In March/April, sow thinly about 1cm (½in) deep in finely raked soil and cover lightly with soil. Thin out the young plants to about 23cm (9ins) apart when they are large enough to handle . Otherwise sow a few seeds in pots filled with multi-purpose compost and place in a sunny spot.

Article continues below...
Advert

Enjoy more Kitchen Garden reading in the monthly magazine.
Click here to subscribe & save.

Cut the shoots over the summer as and when. However, if you leave them, they do produce marvellous flower buds which can be chopped up and added to salads, giving a mild garlicky taste. Otherwise, let the flowers bloom – bees and butterfles just love ’em!

The plant will die back in late autumn but revive again in spring when, if you need to, you can divide them in clumps and replant them. Great value all round!

Article continues below...
Advert

Enjoy more Kitchen Garden reading in the monthly magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Sign-up to the Kitchen Garden Magazine Newsletter

Enter your e-mail address below to see a free digital back issue of Kitchen Garden Magazine and get regular updates straight to your inbox…

You can unsubscribe at any time.

Tony Flanagan

Tony Flanagan is Kitchen Garden’s staff writer. He has been an enthusiastic grower of fruit and veg for many years. His favourite things to grow are peppers (sweet and chllli), tomatoes, herbs and beans. When he is not gardening or not writing about gardening, he is an avid Wolverhampton Wanderers fan. 07587038039 | [email protected]