Chives care guide

Pets and children

How often to water Chives

Spring–Summer (Mar–Sep)

Every 2 days

Likes moist soil: water thoroughly once the topsoil is dry, as a guide, checking in the morning in midsummer when it dries out fast.

Autumn (Oct–Nov)

Every 3 days

Cooler weather slows drying, so water once the soil is dry, as a guide.

Winter (Dec–Feb)

Every 7 days

The top dies back and the plant rests, so a light watering a few days after the soil dries is the guide.

Light and placement for Chives

Generally likes full sun and manages in part shade, though as a guide low light gives thin, floppy leaves; in midsummer keep it cooler in bright shade.

Overwintering Chives

Overwintering guide: −15°C (5°F) or above

Very hardy and generally left outdoors over winter as a guide: the top dies back, it rests, and it sprouts again in spring, needing only a light watering when the soil dries.

Fertilizing and repotting Chives

Fertilizer

Since the leaves are cut repeatedly, feed in spring and fall with diluted liquid fertilizer about every two weeks or a little slow-release fertilizer, as a guide, and none in midsummer or winter.

When to repot

Spring–Summer (Mar–Sep), Autumn (Oct–Nov)

Common problems with Chives

• The clump gets crowded, the leaves thin out, and vigor fades.
• Midsummer heat and dry soil brown the leaf tips.
• Cut right down to the base, it is slow to regrow.

Tips for growing Chives

• Cut the leaves 3 to 5 cm above the base and they regrow again and again.
• Divide the clump every two or three years in spring or fall for thicker leaves.
• The pink flowers are edible too, but pinch them early if the leaves are the goal.

More herb care guides

• CilantroCoriandrum sativum
• Common sageSalvia officinalis
• Common thymeThymus vulgaris
• DillAnethum graveolens
• FennelFoeniculum vulgare
• German chamomileMatricaria chamomilla