Jan–MarApr–JunJul–SepOct–Dec
Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
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Plant · P-180
Chives
Allium schoenoprasum
Chives form a low clump of hollow, grassy leaves that regrow fast enough to be cut over and over through the season for a mild onion flavor, while the bulbs themselves stay too small to bother digging - it's the leaves you're after, harvested like scallions. Left uncut, the purple flower heads draw pollinators, but cutting and flowering compete for the plant's energy, so many growers let some clumps bloom and cut the rest hard for the kitchen. Grown at the base of apple trees, chives are traditionally credited with cutting down on apple scab. It thrives in full sun but tolerates light shade, and sulks through the hottest part of summer.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 4–8
- Soil
- Sand · Silt · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Dry · Well-Drained · Moderate
Vertical layer
Herbaceous- Soil pH
- 5.2–8.3
- Plant type
- Perennial
- Mature height
- 12–18 in
- Mature spread
- 12–17 in
- Plant spacing
- 2–8 in
- Root type
- Bulb
- Spread pattern
- Seed
Keep exploring
Similar plants
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Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & H.Ohashi
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Agrimony
Agrimonia eupatoria
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Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
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Alsike Clover
Trifolium hybridum
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Amaranthus tricolor
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The deeper layer
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- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
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- Byproduct
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Behind the record
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