Common chives plants with round, light purple blossoms and thin green stems growing in a garden.
Top-down view of a blooming purple chives flower and a tight bud against a soft green background.
Clusters of round, light purple chives blossoms blooming on thin green stems in a garden.

Chives Seeds

$11.95
Open-Pollinated
Heirloom
Quick Facts
  • Mild onion-flavored leaves return each spring
  • Tidy perennial clumps fit borders and kitchen-door containers
  • Snip over eggs and potatoes; garnish with edible blossoms
  • 60 days from sowing
  • Allium schoenoprasum
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🌱 Sow with Confidence—One-Year Seed Guarantee

Common chives grow tidy clumps of hollow green leaves with a mild onion flavor and round purple blossoms in late spring. This hardy perennial is one of the easiest kitchen herbs to keep close, returning year after year with fresh shoots just when the garden begins waking up.

Snip leaves over eggs, potatoes, soups, salads, and soft cheeses, or use the edible flowers as a bright oniony garnish. Chives fit beautifully in borders, containers, and herb beds, where bees love the blooms as much as cooks love the leaves.

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Unopened items may be returned within 30 days. If something arrives damaged, incomplete, or incorrect, we’ll make it right.

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We stand behind every packet. Our seeds are untreated, germination-tested, true to variety, and covered for one year from purchase.

If seeds arrive damaged, fail to germinate under reasonable growing conditions, or do not grow true to type, contact us and we’ll make it right with a replacement, store credit, or refund.

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FAMILY OWNED

Hand packed in Pennsylvania by our family.

LAB TESTED

Third-party tested for reliable germination.

NON-GMO

Open-pollinated varieties for home gardens & seed saving.

UNTREATED SEED

Never coated with chemical seed treatments.

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Chive Growing Basics

Chives are one of the easiest perennial herbs to welcome into the garden, grown for their slender onion-flavored leaves and round purple flowers that appear in late spring or early summer. Long used in kitchen gardens across Europe and Asia, they bring a mild allium flavor without the sharpness of full-sized onions.

In the garden, chives form tidy clumps that return year after year where conditions suit them. They are useful near kitchen doors, in herb beds, borders, containers, and pollinator plantings. Harvest the leaves for fresh cooking, let a few flowers open for bees, and divide established clumps when they become crowded.

Start chives indoors about 6–8 weeks before the expected last spring frost, or direct sow outdoors in spring once the soil can be worked. Chives are cold hardy once established, but seedlings grow slowly at first and benefit from steady early care.

Transplant young plants outdoors in spring after they are well rooted. In mild climates, chives may also be planted in fall with enough time to establish before winter.

Sow seeds about ¼ inch deep in moist seed-starting mix or prepared garden soil. Keep evenly moist until germination, which may take one to three weeks.

For indoor starting, sow several seeds per cell or small pot to create a small clump. Transplant clumps rather than trying to separate every individual seedling. Space plants about 8–12 inches apart in garden beds, or grow them in containers near the kitchen for easy harvest.

Choose a site with full sun to light partial shade and well-drained soil. Chives grow well in average garden soil, though compost worked in before planting supports steady, tender leaf growth.

Water regularly while plants are becoming established. Mature clumps are fairly adaptable, but steady moisture produces better leaves. Cut plants back after flowering if the foliage becomes coarse or tired.

Established chive clumps can be divided every few years in spring or fall. Lift the clump, separate it into smaller sections, and replant with room to grow.

Begin harvesting once plants are established and have enough leaf growth to recover. Cut leaves near the base with scissors, taking only part of the clump at a time.

Fresh chives have the best flavor and texture when used soon after cutting. Add them near the end of cooking or use them raw so their mild onion flavor stays bright. Flowers can also be harvested when newly opened and separated into florets for salads, herb butters, vinegars, and garnishes.

Full Chive Growing Guide