Days to Maturity: 80 from direct sow
The one must-have kitchen herb, chives are perfect for almost any savory dish. Snip the leaves in bunches at the base of the plant, then chop and use fresh or freeze for year-round use. The flowers can also be used for an even milder onion flavor - they look gorgeous in salads, and have that irresistible peppery onion aroma.
Chives are pretty enough to be used ornamentally as well as in cuisine. They make fine companions to roses, keeping away many destructive pests with their strong scent while beautifying the garden with their large ball of lavender-pink blooms. They are a good "guard" for any plant that needs a little muscle to keep out nibbling visitors.
And chives are perennial from one end of the country to the other. Direct sow the seeds anytime from spring through summer, placing several seeds together in the planting hole. The slender green shoots will appear within a few weeks, and be ready for harvest in about 3 months.
Chives rewards you with long-lived plants that set lovely blooms, offer good garden protection, and can be snipped as needed for cuisine. We are confident that it will become one of your favorites for herb, vegetable, and flower garden.
