Chives! A harbinger of spring!

One of the earliest growing herbs in my garden, each spring (actually late winter), are small clumps of chives! Even this past very cold winter failed to kill a pot of these hardy little guys from the family Amaryllidacea! Chives are the smallest of edible onions and work well in many soups, stews and salads!

Over the past few years, I've divided them up and spread them around the grounds in out of the way nooks and crannies, so some are always available and close at hand. Even the flowers are edible and add a neat look to any salad! One of my favorite ways to enjoy them is as an addition to beef

broth! I store them over the winter, chopped up and frozen in an ice cube tray for use whenever I need them!

Chives

One of the plants I love to grow and consume is the herb known as chives. The name is thought to be derived from the French cive. The botanical species name of schoenoprasum means essentially “rush-like leek”. By whatever ‘nom-des-plume’ (my bad French), the herb has a wonderful taste that I like to use, freshly chopped, in soups and salads. The purplish flowers are also edible and really add interest to a dish(just make sure to wash them well before use). Another interesting aspect of the plant is its ability to drive away insect pests. If you have a plant in your garden that is routinely bothered by insects, just make sure to have a bunch of chives planted next to them. The little buggers will magically disappear in no time at all, I promise! Chives grow best in full sun in a fairly rich, moist soil, which is high in organic matter, and has a pH of 6 to 8. Chives will, however, tolerate partial shade and most soil types. Chives should be fertilized several times during the growing season with a balanced commercial fertilizer or bone meal and manure. Although specific recommendations are not available for chives, a general recommendation is to incorporate 50 to 75 pounds each of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash per acre at planting if you are a commercial grower. If not, just side dress with a little blood meal two or three times during the growing season. You also should keep these guys well watered and weeded. After a season or two when they are well established, feel free to divide them up into clumps to give to friends. They'll thank you!