Garlic chives

Garlic chives: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Dense clump 30–40 cm tall and 30 cm wide, growing from short rhizomes with small, elongated bulbs.

Leaves

Flat, narrow and strap-like, 20–35 cm long; dark green with a mild garlic flavour.

Flower

Flat to domed umbels of small, white, star-shaped flowers on sturdy stems, in August–September.

Seed

Small black seeds in three-chambered capsules; the plant self-seeds readily.

Flavour

Milder than garlic, with a fresh oniony note; buds and flowers taste the same.

Flowering: August–September · Harvest and fruit: May–September · Sowing: March–May · Plants: April–May and September · Pruning: March and September

Why grow it?

• Fresh leaves with a mild garlic flavour from spring to autumn, without any garlic to peel.
• White flower heads for bees and butterflies in late summer, when many other herbs have finished flowering.
• Delicious in stir-fries, omelettes, soups and dumplings; the buds and flowers are edible too.
• Hardy and perennial: one clump stays productive for years.
• Small enough for a pot, a herb planter or the edge of the vegetable patch.

Garlic chives: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; it flowers best in full sun.
• Any good garden soil: sand, loam or clay, slightly acid to chalky.
• Ordinary, not too dry soil; avoid spots where water lies.
• Plant 25–30 cm apart, or in a pot at least 20 cm across.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.4 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -20 °C)

Goes well with

• Chives: Flower in May–June; together they give you flowers and leaves for almost the whole summer.
• Oregano: Another late-summer bee plant for the same sunny spot.
• Ice plant: Flowers at the same time and attracts butterflies.
• Thyme: A low, fragrant edging in front of the clumps.

Garlic chives: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May and September.

1. Sow indoors in March–April or outdoors in April–May; plant out young clumps in April–May or September.
2. Sow 4–6 seeds together in a small pot and cover them thinly; at 15–20 °C they germinate in 2–3 weeks.
3. Loosen the soil and work in some compost.
4. Plant the clumps at the same depth as in the pot, 25–30 cm apart.
5. Water straight away and keep the soil moist for the first few weeks.
6. A thin mulch of compost keeps weeds down between the young clumps.

Care

Watering

Water in dry spells, especially in a pot: this keeps the leaves tender.

Feeding

A layer of compost in spring, and a little more after a few harvests.

Harvesting

Cut the leaves just above the ground when they are 15–20 cm long; they soon grow back. In the first year after sowing, harvest sparingly.

Spent flowers

Cut off the flower heads before the seed is ripe and black, or it will self-seed everywhere.

Dividing

Lifting and dividing the clump every 3–4 years keeps it young and productive.

Tip: Cut off the flower heads before the seed ripens, or you will find seedlings everywhere. Leave a few to eat the buds and flowers.

Garlic chives: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and September.

When: Garlic chives are not really pruned. In March, cut away the dead leaves, and in September the spent flower heads.

How:

• In late winter or March, cut last year’s dead leaves back to just above the ground.
• Cut off the flower stems after flowering, before the seed ripens.
• If you want to save seed, leave a few heads and cut them once the capsules split open.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In spring or September: lift the clump and split it into pieces of a few bulbs each. Replant straight away and water.

Seed

Sow indoors in March–April or outdoors in April–May. Use fresh seed: it only stays reliably viable for a few years.

Garlic chives: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• Hardy to about −20 °C; the leaves die back in winter and the clump regrows in spring.
• Leave cutting away the dead leaves until late winter.
• In a pot: stand it against a wall and make sure the compost does not stay sodden.

Diseases and pests

• Rust: Orange-brown pustules on the leaves, especially in wet summers. Cut affected leaves down to the ground: the new growth is usually healthy.
• Allium leaf miner and leek moth: Tunnels and white streaks in the leaves. Cover the clumps with fine insect mesh in spring and autumn.
• Seedlings everywhere: It self-seeds easily, even between paving. Cut off the flowers before the seed ripens.
• Slugs: They eat young seedlings. Protect them with a collar or pick the slugs off in the evening.

Through the year

• March: Cut away dead leaves. Add compost. Sow indoors.
• April: Sowing and planting. First leaves to harvest.
• May: Sow outdoors. Planting. Harvest regularly.
• June: Harvest. Water in dry weather.
• July: Harvest. Water in dry weather.
• August: Flowering. Pick buds and flowers.
• September: Flowering. Cut off spent heads. Plant or divide.
• October: Last harvest of leaves.
• November: The leaves die back.

Edible and useful

Leaves (May–September)

Cut the flat leaves from May to September a few centimetres above the ground; they regrow quickly, so you can harvest three or four times a year. They taste like a mix of chives and garlic. Use them fresh: in scrambled eggs, dumplings, stir-fries, soup and herb butter.

Flowers (August–September)

The white star-shaped flowers and buds in August and September are edible too, with a mild garlic flavour: in a stir-fry or over a salad. Cut them off before they set seed, or the plant will sow itself everywhere.

Storing

Fresh, a few days in the fridge in a damp cloth or standing in a glass of water. Dried they have little flavour; finely chopped they freeze well. In winter the plant dies back above ground and reappears in spring.

Caution: Like all alliums, garlic chives are poisonous to dogs and cats: do not let them eat any. Remove the flower heads before the seeds ripen, as the plant self-seeds readily. People sensitive to onion or garlic sometimes tolerate garlic chives poorly too.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Garlic chive and egg dumplings (Dish · ± 30 pieces · 1 hr)
• Garlic chive and tofu stir-fry (Dish · 2 people · 20 min)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• Unlike ordinary chives, the leaves are flat, not hollow.
• In China they are also grown in the dark: the leaves stay yellow and tender and are prized as a delicacy.
• In Chinese cooking they are a classic filling for dumplings, often with pork or egg.