Your edible garden

How to grow delicious vegetables, herbs, and fruit at home

9 indispensable herbs

How to grow basil, cilantro, chives, and more essential culinary herbs

Thomas J. Story

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Chives (Allium)

Chives: Green, grasslike, 12- to 24-inch-long spears form in clumps. Clusters of rose purple or white flowers in spring. Perennial.

Best culinary varieties: Chives (A. schoenoprasum); all zones. Chinese or garlic chives (A. tuberosum); zones 1-24, H1-H2.

Growing tip: Increase the number of plants by dividing in winter every two years or so.

Harvest tip: Gather chives by snipping the spears to the ground (otherwise you'll have unsightly brown foliage mixed in with the green).

Uses: Butters, cheeses, eggs, lamb, mayonnaise, potatoes, rice, salads, sauces, seafood, soups, sour cream, stews, and vegetables.