A true harbinger of spring, expect Allium schoenoprasum to make its presence known within the next few weeks. This little herb is one busy multitasker.
If you are like most folks you’re on a first-name basis with them and simply call them chives. Native across Europe and Asia, explorer Marco Polo is credited with discovering them on one of his many travels. Early settlers from Europe brought them to America’s shores, where they have had a place in our hearts ever since.
To smell them is to love them? Well, maybe not for some, but they do have a very distinctive “fragrance,” hence their genus name Allium. It tells us they are cousins to garlic, onions and leeks.
Chives are “oniony” to most taste buds. But whether fresh or dried, the flavor of this herb is memorable.
Chives also are known for their “medicinal” use. That oniony fragrance you get a whiff of when you break their leaves comes from sulfur-based oil similar to that of garlic, onions and leeks. These sulfide compounds have been found to have a beneficial effect on lowering blood pressure. The drawback is we use so few chives at a time and the quantity of the sulfides found in chives is not large, so the benefit we gain is minute. However, chives are rich in vitamins A and C and provide a trace amount of iron.
One great thing about chives is they make useful companion plants. Planted at the base of roses, they receive kudos for helping to deter black spot. Around fruit trees, they are said to repel borers and apple scab. Interspersing them between carrots will lead to improved growth and flavor of those favorite orange roots. Tuck chives near cucumber plants and you can say goodbye to a majority of those troublesome cucumber beetles. Some gardeners claim success using their fragrance to chase off Japanese beetles, while still others say a tea made from the leaves makes a great spray for mildew.
The purple blossoms of chives also are a favorite stop for pollinating bees. Planting clumps along your vegetable or flower garden’s edge can positively affect pollination possibilities. Not to mention their flowers, although strongly scented, have a long vase life and when dried hold their purple color nicely.
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Whew, chives are busy little fellas aren’t they?
And the best part is they are a snap to grow and are easily propagated by seed either fresh out of the packet or self-sown from a previous blossom that wasn’t deadheaded. Seeds can be sown directly in the garden late April, in the early fall or indoors about six weeks before the last frost date.
Division of an existing plant is another propagation option. Unlike typical perennial herbs where the crown and roots are divided, the chive plant is a collection of tiny, clustered bulbs. Simply dig the plant and gently separate the bulbs into smaller clumps and replant.
Give chives a full day of sun, in very well-drained soil. They are not tolerant of “wet feet,” especially in cool moist spring soils, where their tiny bulbs will rot.
They are, however, tolerant of a wide pH range; 6.0 to as high as 7.5 is acceptable. To harvest, snip the tender green stems periodically throughout the spring and early summer. Once the plant begins to flower, the stems tend to “toughen” up.