Herbs > Garlic Chives Herb

Information on, uses of and how to grow garlic chives:

Name
Allium schoenoprasum.

Family
Lilaceae.

History
One type of chive was originally cultivated in China and was probably used throughout Asia.

Growing pattern
Annual.

Seeds
Buy Garlic Chives Seeds (Organic and Non-Organic) from The Green Chronicle (Pay in £, $US, Euro).
Herbs, Seasonings, Seeds and Spices - Buy Chive Rings from Mountain Rose Herbs ($US).

How to grow
Chives are grown from seed. It needs to be re-sown every 2-3 years as the flavour tends to diminish. Sow in shallow drills at the beginning of March. Thin the seedlings to 30cm apart. Chives can be grown in a container. In spring or autumn the clumps can be divided and the flowers should always be cut off to maintain flavour for as long as possible.

Soil condition/position
Moist, rich soil. Can be put in pots during the autumn and be brought indoors to provide a winter supply.

Appearance
Chives grow to 30cm in height and have thin grass like leaves which grow from clumps of tiny bulbs. The flowers are small, round and pale mauve in colour.

Uses
Chives are good in omelettes, scrambled eggs and in all sorts of salads. They can be chopped up very finely and sprinkled over cooked new potatoes.


FORUM FRONT PAGE - JOIN OUR FORUM

A topic being discussed at the moment on our forum:

Land For Food Production

Sat May 15, 2010 9:18 pm // 8 comments // granny_nuts


I wonder just how much land it would take to feed a family of, say, 4? I know that if my family didn't buy fruit and veg we wouldn't have enough to eat but is self sufficiency down to amount of land or method of growing? Last year I overcrowded my small veg plot with counter-productive results like mildew and snail infestation that went unnoticed until we came to pick the tomatoes (all holes!). I wonder if anyone has ever been totally self providing or whether the local market and barter played...