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Publication #HS581

Chives — Allium schoenoprasum L.1

James M. Stephens2

Chives are perennials belonging to the onion family. The small, bulbous, onion-like plants grow in clumps; leaves are slender, tubular and hollow, about 6 inches long. They produce very attractive violet-colored flowers.Chives are a native of northern Europe and parts of North America. While not an important commercial crop in Florida, they are a good garden item. They can be grown on most of the soil types found in Florida.

Chives. 

USE

The tender leaves can be harvested at any time during the season and used fresh. The young tender fresh leaves possess a delicate onion flavor. The bulbs or dried leaves are seldom used as they do not have a pleasant flavor. While chopped leaves can be used with many foods and in many herb mixtures, they are excellent in salads, omelets, stews, and soups.

CULTURE

Throughout Florida, chives may be planted August through March, using either seeds or sets. Most gardeners use sets. It is a perennial, but the clumps should be divided and reset every 2-3 years to prevent overcrowding. The bulbs can be set in about the same manner as onion sets and require about the same care. Place the sets at a depth of about ½ inch and about 3 inches apart.

In northern areas, the clumps are sometimes dug up and potted and then grown indoors for winter use. Chives are often retailed potted in this manner.

Footnotes

1.

This document is HS581, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date May 1994. Reviewed March 2009. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

James M. Stephens, Professor, Horticultural Sciences Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean.