Crop guide
How to grow chives
How to grow chives means matching cited perennial and clump notes to your bed, keeping sources separate by geography. There is no single trick.
Growing guidance is general information. Timing, spacing, and care depend on cultivar, weather, soil, and local conditions. Check the sources and adjust the plan for your garden.
Steps (range, not a promise)
- 01Read cited perennial notes — clumps, hollow leaves, and flowers stay source-specific.
- 02Match height notes to the sheet for your geography.
- 03Log the bed so next season is not a guess.
Chive plants in a home garden bed.
The season, on your ground
Save this bed — freeWhen to plantHarvestGarden pests
What the sources say — at a glance
One source per card. Facts are not averaged.
Illinois Extension (Illinois)
Hardy perennial. Clumps. Hollow leaves. Pink flowers.
Details and limits (2)
Types
Illinois Extension (Illinois): chives are a hardy, drought-tolerant perennial growing to about 10–12 inches tall. They grow in clumps from underground bulbs and produce round, hollow leaves. In mid-summer, they produce round, pink flowers. Identification.
Limit
Illinois herbs chives page. Identification only — not a start calendar.
Maryland Extension (Maryland)
Hardy perennial. Clumps. About 10 inches. Light purple flowers.
Details and limits (2)
Types
Maryland Extension (Maryland): chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are onion-like plants that grow in clumps, reaching about 10 inches in height. Hardy perennials with light purple flowers. Identification.
Limit
Maryland chives page. Identification only — not harvest.
University of Minnesota Extension (Minnesota)
Onion family. Clump-forming. Hollow leaves. Lavender flowers.
Details and limits (2)
Types
University of Minnesota Extension (Minnesota): the chive plant, Allium schoenoprasum, is a member of the onion family (Alliaceae). Lavender flowers, a clump-forming habit. Grass-like hollow leaves. Identification.
Limit
Minnesota growing-chives page. Identification only — not harvest.
Clemson HGIC (South Carolina)
Onion family. Leaves to 12 inches. Lavender flowers.
Details and limits (2)
Types
Clemson HGIC (South Carolina): grass-like dark green leaves grow to 12 inches tall. Showy lavender flowers. Smallest members of the onion family. Identification.
Limit
South Carolina combined herbs sheet. Chives identification only — not harvest.
Make it yours
Save the bed in the Field Book so next season is not a guess.
Sources differ
Verified suppliers only
No supplier on this page
When a partner is listed, it will be outbound and disclosed. Nothing to buy here. Fertilizer, soils, and pesticides stay off this slot.
What to record in the Field Book
Save the bed with the crop and the date. You may add a photo and notes. Compare entries you have recorded with each other — not with a diagnosis from this page. If you want an identification, bring the record to local Extension.
How we know — methodology. Ranges and assertions are cited per source, not blended.