Chives
Allium schoenoprasum
is a member of the Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis) family.Chives are perennials easily distinguished by their growth in dense clumps, lack of well-formed bulbs, and ornamental quality violet flowers. The tubular leaves are 6 to 10 inches long. No other onion has such a wide geographical distribution as the chive and few species are more variable.
Other names. Siu heung, tsung (Chinese); he (Vietnamese).
Market information
Current production and yield.
Chives are grown primarily in Europe and North America. In 1987, the California County Agricultural Commissioners reported chives grown in Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties.Use. The slender, tubular, hollow green leaves are used for garnish and seasoning for salads, soups and stews, being cut as needed. They are also used as ornamentals, either in the garden or in household pots, because of their attractive rose to violet flowers atop the uniform green clumps. Dried chives are increasing in popularity. The flower stems are not palatable.
Culture
Climatic requirements.
Chives are completely hardy to cold, withstand drought and grow well in a wide variety of soils. They prefer moist, cool conditions.Propagation and care. Readily raised from seeds and also propagated easily by division of the small rhizomes. It is a hardy plant which requires little care. Plant seeds half inch deep with rows 8 inches apart. Thin plants to 5-6 inches in row. Harvest with scissors or a sharp knife and cut back to within 2 inches of the soil.
Seeding or dividing is usually done in the spring or summer. The number of plants within a clump will double 5 to 10 times each year if sufficient space, water, light and nutrients are provided. Growth is most rapid in spring and summer. Natural dormancy occurs in the fall with regrowth beginning during the winter. Frequent watering and nitrogen application during the spring and summer are recommended.
Sources
Seed
W. Atlee Burpee & Co., 300 Park Avenue, Warmister, PA 18974.
Johnny's Selected Seeds, Foss Hill Rd., Albion, Maine 04910.
Nichols Garden Nursery, 1190 North Pacific Hwy., Albany, OR 97321.
Park Seed Co., Cokesbury Road, Greenwood, SC 29647-0001.
Seeds Blum, Idaho City Stage, Boise, ID 83706.
Shepherd's Garden Seeds, Shipping Office, 30 Irene Street, Torrington, Conn. 06790.
The Cook's Garden, P. O. Box 65, Londonderry, VT 05148.
Le Jardin du Gourmet, P. O. Box 75, St. Johnsbury Center, VT 05863.
Tsang and Ma, P. O. Box 5644, Redwood City, CA 94063.
Taylor's Herb Gardens, 1525 Lone Oak Road, Vista, CA 92084.
More information:
Stephens, James. Minor Vegetables. Univ. of Florida Cooperative Extension Bulletin SP-40. June 1988. 123 pp.
Jones, Henry and Louis Mann. Onions and Their Allies. Interscience Publishers Inc., New York. 1963.
California Agricultural Statistics Service, CDFA. 1987 Agricultural Commissioner Data.
Brewster, James and Haim Rabinowitch. Onions and Allied Crops. CRC Press, Inc. Boca Raton, Florida. 1989.
Compiled by Claudia Myers, U.C. Small Farm Center and Ron Voss, Vegetable Specialist, U.C. Davis.
Reviewed by Keith Mayberry.
Reviewed by Yvonne Savio.
Reviewed by Ron Voss.
Captions:
Figure 1. Chives. The small hollow green leaves are used for garnish and flavoring. The round purple flowers are visible here. (Photo by Hunter Johnson)
Figure 2. Chives growing at an herb farm in San Marcos. (Photo by Hunter Johnson)
3/19/90