Grow the Delicious Herb Chives
Chives are a perennial that grow to a height of about eighteen
inches and produce beautiful pink blossoms. This garden plant is
considered an herb and grows from bulbs which can be obtained from your
local garden shop. Chives are a member of the onion family but, unlike
onions, they are not grown for their bulbs. Instead, chives are grown
for their flavorful hollow, spiked leaves. Chives can be grown in a
window box or in pots with a 6"-8" diameter placed on a sunny
windowsill, patio or balcony. You can grow this plant from seeds, but it
will be 90 days or more before it produces clumps of bulbs large enough
to produce useable leaves.
Chives are used in many dishes to
add flavor. Some common uses for chives are to flavor baked potatoes,
soups, casseroles, dips and salads. The leaves can also be chopped and
used to make herb butters and sauces.
Chives prefer full
sunlight and well-drained soil. Add a one inch layer of compost or dried
manure to the soil and till to a depth of about 12". The compost or
manure will aid in drainage. The bulbs should be planted in early spring
after the thread of frost has passed. Bulbs of chives purchased from
your local garden will usually come in clumps. Plant the clumps of bulbs
about 8" apart and about 5" deep. Space the clumps about 12" apart to
allow for air circulation. Keep the soil moist but not wet around the
plants.
This plant matures in about 60 days when grown from
bulbs. The leaves are ready to harvest when they are bright green in
color and about 6"-12" tall. Use scissors to harvest chives by clipping
the leaves off about 2" above the surface of the soil. Simply rinse the
leave, drain and clip into short sections or bits.
Chives
contain good amounts of vitamins A and C, iron, magnesium, phosphorus
and potassium. Chives also contain goodly amounts of thiamine and niacin
which are necessary for the function of the nervous system and
metabolism. Information about other herbs that you grow in your garden can be found here.
