Chives, Allium tuberosum – sowing, cultivation and care

This plant is herbaceous and persistent and can reach heights of between 25 and 80 cm. Garlic chives are geophytes, meaning that their organs of persistence hibernate in the ground during the cold season.
The white or pink, spherical inflorescences, which consist of many individual flowers, reach a diameter of 7-8 cm. Depending on the species, they appear from July to September. The flowers and buds as well as the leaves of the cut garlic are edible.

sowing

This easy-care vegetable and spice plant can be cultivated both outdoors and in pots, for example on the windowsill. Since the leaves of the cut garlic look like normal blades of grass and could easily be confused with it, it is advisable to grow it in a suitable growing container that can be placed outside and to plant it outside later. Direct sowing outdoors is also possible.

You can sow from March to September. However, the young plants grown in early spring should only be planted in their final location in the garden when night frosts are no longer to be expected, i.e. not before mid / end of May.

Since chives are cold germs, it is advisable to subject them to an appropriate cold treatment in order to break the dormancy of the seeds and to support germination. To do this, the seeds are placed in sowing soil and covered with substrate for about 1 cm. The whole thing must then be kept moist (not wet) and placed in a place with temperatures of around 20 degrees for 2-4 weeks.

After this time, the seeds must be exposed to cold temperatures between – 4 and + 4 degrees for another 4-6 weeks, for example in the refrigerator, or outdoors depending on the weather. After these 4-6 weeks, the chives need temperatures between 5 and 12 degrees. When the seedlings are big enough, they can be planted out in the garden.

The seeds can also be sown in the cold frame from the beginning of March or directly outdoors from the end of April. The sowing depth should be about 2 cm here. It is best to sow in rows with a row spacing of approx. 30 – 40 cm. If the plants are big enough, it is advisable to separate them. The space requirement per plant is about 25 cm.

Location and soil

• Garlic chives prefer moist and sunny to full sun locations.
• But it also tolerates partial shade very well.
• It is best if it gets more than half a day of sun.
• Full shade is not tolerated by this plant.
• The soil should be fresh, well-drained, nutrient-rich and evenly moist.
• However, it should not be prone to waterlogging.
• As a rule, any well-drained garden soil is suitable.
• If necessary, some sand or humus can be incorporated.

Watering and fertilizing

Garlic chives should always be kept evenly moist. Excess water must always be able to run off, because this plant is very sensitive to waterlogging. If the drought persists, additional watering is required. However, you should not water in full sun to avoid burns. It is best to water early in the morning or in the evening.

Both mineral and organic fertilizers are suitable for fertilization. Long-lasting perennial fertilizers with 20 – 30 g per square meter are also suitable for annual re-fertilization in spring. After a larger cut from June to August, you can promote growth with a top dressing. However, it should be watered thoroughly afterwards.

Overwinter

Chives are perennial and hardy from -17.7 to -12.3 degrees. The above-ground parts of this bulbous plant die off completely in winter. Their survival organs survive the winter in the ground without any problems, so that they sprout again in the next spring, around March.
In order to be able to harvest fresh garlic chives all year round, you can dig them up in autumn and continue to cultivate them in a pot at temperatures between 18 and 20 degrees in a bright location, for example in a winter garden. To stimulate growth, it makes sense to harvest it regularly.

Good and bad partners for planting garlic chives

• Like most other plants, the chives also have plants next to which they thrive more or less well.
• For example, it is good to be close to strawberries, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes or nasturtiums.
• A mixed culture with peas, beans or cabbage, on the other hand, should be avoided.

Multiplication

By division
In addition to sowing, chives can also be propagated by division without any problems, although division is recommended about every three years. Older clumps can be divided in late summer or after budding in spring. For this purpose, the plants are carefully dug up, divided and the plants obtained in this way are planted in a weed-free bed at intervals of 30-40 cm. After planting, water the whole thing well.

harvest

Garlic chives can be harvested several times from June to October. If you continue to cultivate indoors from October, you can harvest all year round. Both the tuft-like leaves and the white flowers or buds can be harvested, whereby the buds that are still closed are the crispest and taste particularly delicate.

When harvesting, it is advisable never to harvest the entire plant, but always leave a few leaves. In addition, the leaves should not be cut too close to the ground so as not to damage the new shoot tips.

If possible, you should only harvest as much as you can use immediately, because garlic chives do not stay fresh for long and the fresher it is, the better it tastes of course.

Diseases and pests

Chive
rust Typical rust spots on the leaves usually indicate chive rust, which is also very common on herbs. If you notice an infestation, you should cut back the plant heavily and wait to see whether new, healthy shoots grow back. However, if the rust also occurs on the new shoots, the plant must be disposed of with household waste.

Onion flies Garlic
chives are often attacked by the onion fly maggots, which are particularly dangerous for the seedlings. In the event of an infestation, the plants can usually no longer be saved and must be disposed of. As a preventive measure, the chives can be protected from the onion fly with appropriate culture protection nets.

Aphids
When cultivated in a pot, aphids can also be attacked. If there is an infestation, you can cover the substrate well and place the plant upside down in a container with water for about 1-2 hours. If commercially available pesticides are used, the plant is not suitable for consumption for a long time.

species

• ‘Kobold’ – Small Chopped Garlic – This compact, white-flowered variety is characterized by its typically mild, fresh garlic taste. The flowers of this variety, which appear from August to October, are said to be the tastiest and most tender.
• ‘Monstrosum’ – Giant Chopped Garlic – This variety is particularly large with a height of 50-80 cm. Here, too, the flowers are particularly tender and tasty. Flowering time is from July to September.
• Pink Garlic Chives – The leaves of this pink flowering garlic chives are particularly thick-fleshed. This species sometimes forms small bulbs that are also edible. Compared to other species, it forms a particularly large number of leaves. Flowering time is from June to September.

Conclusion
Garlic is a popular herb and can be consumed without hesitation thanks to the lack of a garlic odor. In the right location, it is very easy to care for and if it is wintered in the house, it can be harvested throughout the year. This bulb plant is not only particularly tasty, but also very decorative thanks to its filigree flowers.