Herb · Amaryllidaceae
Chives
Allium schoenoprasum
Slim hollow blades and pink-purple pompom flowers rise from one small clump, and full sun keeps them coming for years.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
59–77°F · 15–25°C
80–90 days
Overview
Chives are the mildest member of the onion family, built around slim, hollow leaves that stand like fine green tubes and carry a gentle oniony bite. The blades rise in tidy, grass-like clumps that return each year, and in late spring each clump lifts pink-purple pompom flowers, tight rounded heads of tiny florets held above the foliage. Both the hollow leaves and the rounded blooms are edible.
This is a hardy perennial whose fine, upright blades and shallow tuft of bulblets ask very little. The clump grows in a bed, along a path, or in a pot on a sunny sill, and it endures cold winters down to USDA zone 3, dying back to the roots and pushing fresh green spears in spring. Cut a handful of blades and new ones rise from the base to replace them.
One trait of those green tubes matters beyond the kitchen. Chives sit in the genus Allium beside onion and garlic, and the same chemistry that gives the leaves their bite makes the whole plant, blade and bulblet alike, dangerous to cats, dogs, horses, and livestock, though it stays safe for people to eat.
Care
The short version: chives want full sun, soil kept moist and fertile, and a first cut once the slender blades stand about 6 inches tall. Split the clump every few years and those grassy tufts keep regrowing almost indefinitely.
Light
In full sun the hollow blades grow thick and upright, deep green and firm, with the sharpest oniony flavor. The plant tolerates partial shade, but with too little light the leaves turn thin and floppy and lean visibly toward the brightest direction.
Water
With evenly moist soil the clump throws up the fullest flush of plump, juicy blades, and this counts most while a young plant is rooting in. A mature tuft endures short dry spells, yet repeated drying leaves the leaves slim and tough and dulls both their flavor and their number.
Soil
Chives root into average, fertile, well-drained soil laced with organic matter, where the small white bulblets sit just under the surface. A pH of 6.0 to 7.0 suits them, and free-draining ground keeps those bulblets firm rather than soft and rotting.
Temperature
The blades grow greenest and most tender in the cool of 59°F to 77°F (15°C to 25°C). In cold climates the foliage withers and vanishes for winter, leaving only the bulblets below ground, then a fresh fan of green spears unfurls once the soil warms in spring.
Humidity
Ordinary air around 40% to 60% keeps the foliage in good shape, so there is no level to chase. Airflow does more for the slender leaves, since damp, crowded blades pressed together are where rust spots take hold.
Feeding
A balanced fertilizer or a little compost in spring keeps the blades green and growing through the season. A light hand is best, because too much feed waters down the flavor, swelling soft, watery leaves at the expense of the sharp oniony taste.
Pruning
Snip the hollow blades near the base once the clump reaches about 6 inches (15 cm), cutting close so fresh tubes rise cleanly from the crown, and shear the whole tuft back now and then for a flush of tender new green. Removing the spent, browning flower heads stops the plant scattering seed across the bed.
Repotting
Chives ask for dividing every 2 to 3 years rather than repotting. When the tuft of bulblets grows dense, the blades thin and weaken, and the very center dies away to a bare patch, it is time to lift the clump and pull it apart.
Size & spacing
A mature clump of blades reaches 8 to 16 inches (20 to 40 cm) tall and spreads into a tuft about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) across. Set each clump that far apart so air slips between the fine leaves and rust finds no damp foothold.
When to plant
Chives push their first thin green spears in the cool of spring and ask for no exact timing once rooted. Seed goes indoors in late winter, divisions go out after the last frost, and through the season the blades are cut while the round flower heads open in late spring.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 8-10 weeks before the last spring frost
- Plant: Spring, after the last frost
- Harvest: Snip leaves once plants are about 15 cm (6 in) tall and established; pink-purple pompom flowers appear late spring to early summer
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Chives seldom show much wrong, and when they do it surfaces on the hollow blades themselves or in a clump grown too dense to thrive. Look closely at the leaves and the crown, match what you see below, and act early while the change is small.
Rust-orange raised spots and shriveling leaf tips
Raised, powdery orange-brown bumps studding the blades are rust, a fungus that erupts when a dense clump traps damp, still air against the leaves. Cut away the spotted foliage, split the tuft open by dividing it so air can move through, and water at the base to keep the slim leaves dry and free of new pustules.
Fix:
- Cut back and remove affected foliage
- Improve spacing and air circulation by dividing crowded clumps
- Water at the base to keep leaves dry
A dense clump with a bare, dying middle
A tuft jammed with thin, weak blades that dies away to a bare hole in the center is an overcrowded clump, its packed bulblets fighting over food and water until the oldest core gives out. Lift it in spring or early fall, prise the bulblets apart, and replant the firm outer pieces in fresh, fertile soil. A deep soak settles their roots back into contact with the ground.
Fix:
- Lift and divide the clump in spring or early fall
- Replant healthy divisions in refreshed, fertile soil
- Water in well after dividing
Silver-white streaks and pale mottling along the leaves
A silvery sheen and pale flecks scratched along the green blades are the mark of thrips, slender little insects that rasp the leaf surface and leave that metallic stippling behind. Onion fly maggots or plain heat and drought can scorch the tips brown in much the same way. A hard jet of water knocks the thrips off, the worst-scarred blades are cut away, and even soil moisture through hot spells keeps the new leaves clean.
Fix:
- Rinse plants with a strong jet of water to dislodge thrips
- Remove and discard badly damaged leaves
- Maintain even soil moisture during hot weather
Toxicity
The plant that tastes mild on the tongue is not mild for animals. Chives are a safe herb for people, but as an Allium they are toxic to cats, dogs, horses, and livestock, where the organosulfur compounds inside those green blades damage red blood cells and bring on hemolytic anemia. Cats are the most sensitive, so keep the leaves, the bulblets, and every trimming out of reach.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Severe
Cats take the hardest hit from a chewed blade. The first signs are vomiting, weakness, and pale gums, then red or brown urine as their red blood cells break down. A racing heart and heavy panting point to the hemolytic anemia that makes even a small nibble of leaf dangerous.
Dogs Moderate
A dog that chews the hollow leaves may vomit, grow listless, and show pale gums or bloody urine. The more green it swallows, the higher the chance of full hemolytic anemia.
Horses Severe
Horses hold up poorly against Allium toxins. A poisoned horse turns weak and listless, its gums blanched pale and its urine stained dark, as the oxidative assault ruptures its red blood cells.
Rabbits Toxic
Never feed the green blades to a rabbit. The organosulfur compounds attack red blood cells just as they do in cats and dogs, and a rabbit's small body has little margin for it.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, sheep, and goats that graze the foliage risk the classic Allium toxicosis, with weakness, anemia, and discolored urine. The damage can build quietly over repeated mouthfuls.
Birds Toxic
Birds carry no defense against these compounds, and even a scrap of leaf can damage their blood. Keep chives and kitchen trimmings well away from pet birds and backyard flocks.
People Safe
For people, the hollow leaves and the rounded flowers are good to eat raw or cooked. The same compounds that harm animals are no threat to people in normal amounts.
All parts are toxic to pets whether fresh, dried, or cooked; even small or cumulative amounts can be dangerous, particularly to cats. Wash hands after handling and keep trimmings and harvested leaves out of reach.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
Most chives are the plain species, but a few named selections differ in the color of their flower heads and the way they set seed.
'Forescate'
Forescate carries vivid rose-pink flower heads above unusually strong, vigorous blades.
'Profusion'
Profusion is a sterile cultivar whose abundant flowers set no seed, so it never scatters seedlings around the garden.
Common chives (species)
Common chives are the standard culinary form, recognized by hollow, grass-like blades of mild onion flavor topped with the familiar pink-purple pompom flowers.
Companions
The strong onion scent of chives can steer some pests away from neighbors like carrots, but the same plant chemistry sets back legumes, so keep it clear of beans and peas.
Plant near
Carrots: Strongly scented alliums like chives are reputed to help deter pests such as carrot fly, and onions/alliums are commonly paired with carrots in extension companion guidance.
Keep apart
Beans: Alliums (onion, garlic, chives) stunt the growth of beans and should not be interplanted with them.
Peas: Like beans, peas are legumes whose growth is inhibited by nearby alliums such as chives.
How to propagate
Chives multiply easily from the clump or from seed. Splitting a tuft of bulblets gives instant plants, while seed grows a fresh stand of fine green spears.
DivisionEasy
Spring or early fall · A few weeks to reestablish; divisions are productive the same or following season
Division is the fastest route to more chives, splitting one tuft of bulblets into many. Every 2 to 3 years, lift an established clump, tease it into smaller bunches of small white bulblets, and replant them right away. They root back in within a few weeks and send up cuttable blades the same or the following season.
SeedModerate
Start indoors 8-10 weeks before the last frost, or direct sow after the last frost · About 80-90 days to a usable harvest from seed
Seed is the slower route, the tiny black grains germinating and growing as fine threadlike spears at first. Sow it indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost, or scatter it into warm, moist soil afterward, thinning the slender seedlings as they thicken. Allow roughly 80 to 90 days before the blades form a clump worth cutting.
Myths
Those slender, mild-flavored chive leaves are harmless to cats and dogs.
The mild taste of those green blades hides real danger. Chives are an Allium, the same family as onion and garlic, and the ASPCA lists them as toxic to cats and dogs. Even a mild-tasting herb can trigger Heinz-body hemolytic anemia in animals, so keep it off the menu for pets.
Nothing but the little underground bulb carries any poison for animals.
The harm reaches far past the bulblet. The toxic organosulfur compounds saturate the whole plant, the hollow green leaves and the rounded flower heads included. Every part can poison a pet, not just the bulb.