Advice on starting chives up ?

Any advice on how to get chives started ?

Reply to
Jim Carlock
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I just bought a plant, stuck it in a pot, and watered it. Here in So California, they become perennials if you keep them close to the house in winter (in case a freeze comes).

Reply to
Jim Thomas

Perennial even if it does freeze. Mine do fine in pots down to 12F. I think they can go much lower in the ground. As to get them started from seeds, put the seeds in dirt. Chives are about the easiest thing there is. They like it a little on the damp side and richer soil is better but it's hard to not make them grow.

Try making chive vinegar. Fill a bottle with chive flowers and cover with a good white vinegar. After a few days the vinegar will be a pretty lavender color and have a delicate chive taste.

Lorenzo L. Love

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Reply to
Lorenzo L. Love

Check to be sure their batteries haven't gone dry.

Reply to
Frogleg

Use fresh seed. Pretty easy to grow -- as long as the seed is fresh.

Reply to
Pat Kiewicz

I must have gotten a really bad bunch of chive seed from Walmart. Wonder if I should take them back to get my 10 cents back ?

I think it's just a bad set of seeds. I'll have to run to Home Depot to see if they still have chive seeds for sale. The Ferry Morse corn seeds I bought in April from Home Depot sprouted 100%. No failures with those. I was very impressed. Corn loves the sun.

Reply to
Jim Carlock

Plant & stand back--- Even in northern NY they are a freely seeding perennial tolerant of below zero temps in the ground.

Mine seem partial to well drained soil & full sun--- but other than that they choke out weeds, tolerate poor soil, trampling, and heavy cutting.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

Could be old seeds. All the alliums have short lived seeds. I've seen that trying to use left over scallion seed, so poor germination from year old seed that it's a waste of time planting them. Those 10 cent American Seed packets from Walmart are generally as good as any when fresh but make sure the packed for date is 2004. I wouldn't be surprised if the garden "experts" at Walmart didn't know to throw out last year's stock of seed.

Lorenzo L. Love

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Reply to
Lorenzo L. Love

Yep. Ours have thrived through several Spokane winters.

Also agreed. Even easier if you get a small pot or two from a nursery in the spring. Transplant with a little Osmocote and stand back. Try the lemon chives as well as the ordinary.

Reply to
Larry Blanchard

Also garlic chives. Yummy :-)

My tomcat also thinks so! When I bought my first ones, they were in a tray with many other things, including catnip. He ate the garlic chives, had barely enough top left for them to grow. Oddest thing.

No, he didn't touch the catnip, but he did have garlic breath for a while.

Glenna

Reply to
Glenna Rose

Maybe I should stick them in the fridge to see if they'll grow there... wouldn't have to walk far to clip them, and throw them into a salad.

Reply to
Jim Carlock

Get good seeds, or plants, put them in a pot with some organic nitrogen fertilizer, bring them inside over winter. Have had my pot of garlic chives for several years. Repotted last fall. Get a nice pot. TWH

Reply to
tom hooper

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