Garlic Chives, Chinese Chives,
Gow Choy
Allium tuberosum is a member of the Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis) family.
Varieties usually just listed as Chinese Chive or Garlic Chive.
This perennial plant grows in clumps and spreads by means of well-developed rhizomes. The plant grows to a height of 12 to 18 inches. There are four to five thin flat leaves in each poorly developed bulb. It is grown only a little in the US, but extensively in China, where it is called "Kau tsai"; in Japan, "Nira". The flowers, usually white, sometimes purple, are not shaped like round balls like the common chive.
Other names. Ndoh dah (Hmong); nira (Japanese); jiu tsai (Mandarin Chinese); gow choy (Cantonese Chinese); gil choy (Chinese).
Market information
Marketing. The blanched chinese chives are much more valuable than the regular ones ($3 to $4 per pound). Blanching makes them more aromatic.
This can be accomplished by excluding light with "tents" of dark paper or other material. Alternate crops of green and bleached chives are possible.
Use. The flat grass-like leaves are used like common chives; the flowers are also commonly eaten; both have a garlic flavor. The leaves are often blanched. The bulbs can also be harvested and used. It has a long tradition of use in herbal medicine, for recovery from fatigue.
Culture
Propagation and care. Chinese chives prefer cool climates or temperatures; production will be greatest in spring. Flowering occurs in the summer; most varieties will go dormant in hot weather. Growth will resume in the fall and be very slow during the winter. Chinese chives can be started from seeds, usually in late winter or early spring. Once started, with proper culture, they can remain productive for ten years or more. Frequent nitrogen fertilization and light, frequent watering is important for continued growth.
Sources
Seed:
American Takii Inc., 301 Natividad Rd., Salinas, CA 93906.
Johnny's Selected Seeds, Foss Hill Road, Albion, ME 04910.
Nichols Garden Nursery, 1190 North Pacific Hwy., Albany, OR 97321.
Park Seed Co., Cokesbury Road, Greenwood, SC 29647-0001.
Sakata Seeds, 18695 Serene Dr., Morgan Hill, CA 95037.
Seeds Blum, Idaho City Stage, Boise, ID 83706
Shepherd's Garden Seeds, Shipping Office, 30 Irene Street, Torrington, Conn. 06790.
Sunrise Enterprises, P.O. Box 10058, Elmwood, Conn. 06110-0058.
Tsang and Ma, P.O. Box 5644, Redwood City, CA 94063.
Taylor's Herb Gardens, 1525 Lone Oak Road, Vista, CA 92084.
More information:
Harrington, Geri. Grow Your Own Chinese Vegetables. Garden Way Publishing, Pownal, Vermont. 1984. 268 pp.
Yamaguchi, Mas. World Vegetables. AVI Publishing Company, Inc., Westport Connecticut. 1983. 415 pp.
Jones, Henry and Louis Mann. Onions and Their Allies. Interscience Publishers Inc., New York. 1963.
Brewster, James and Haim Rabinowitch. Onions and Allied Crops. CRC Press, Inc. Boca Raton, Florida. 1989.
Personal communication. Bill Fujimoto, Monterey Market, Berkeley.
Compiled by Ron Voss, Vegetable Specialist, UC Davis and Claudia Myers, UC Small Farm Center.
Reviewed by Mike Murray, 12/89.
Reviewed by Bif Soper, 12/15/89.
Reviewed by Richard Molinar, Farm Advisor, Alameda County, 12/19/89.
Reviewed by Ron Voss, 1/18/90.
Captions:
Figure 1. Chinese or garlic chives grown to a height of 12 to 18 inches. (Photo by Mike Murray).
Figure 2. Chinese chives at the L.A. wholesale market. The flat grass-like leaves have a garlic flavor. (Photo by Hunter Johnson)
3/19/90