Heirloom Herb. Chive seeds grow as tufts of grassy, tubular leaves shaped much like miniature onion leaves. Use the delicate, mild onion-flavoured leaves in salads, soups, stews, omelettes and dips. Plants grow in clusters to 15 cm (6″) high and produce pretty, edible, purple ball-shaped flowers about 2.5 cm (1″) in diameter. Often gardeners find chives spreading throughout the garden easily on their own. Despite this, chives can be a fussy germinator, with the seed sometimes taking much longer to emerge than expected. While it often spreads from established plants by self-seeding, it is not considered invasive. Sow chive seeds at any time of year. Hardy, perennial, and easy to grow, the chopped stems and pink flowers add a fresh, mild green onion flavour to sandwiches, salads and baked potatoes. Clumps can be divided in spring or fall. If grown in containers, divide frequently enough to provide for constant lateral growth. Chives are surprisingly hardy and can be harvested all winter if given some protection from extreme cold. They are also quite drought tolerant, so they're good candidates for xeriscaping. The edible flowers are highly attractive to bumblebees, hoverflies, and other beneficial garden insects. Perennial hardy to Zone 3. How to Grow 840 seed/gram. Sow seed directly outdoors in a sunny site with average soil in mid-to-late May or in August through September. Sow seed 6 mm (1/4″) deep and 2.5 cm (1″) apart then thin to 10 cm (4″) apart in the garden. Note that germination normally occurs within 14 days of sowing, however seed can sometimes take much longer to sprout so be patient.
