How to Grow Chives and Garlic Chives in South Africa
Grow a little fresh flavour close to the kitchen. Common chives bring a gentle onion taste to salads and potatoes; garlic chives give stir-fries and soups a mild garlic lift. Both form perennial clumps that can supply repeated leaf pickings once established, in a sunny bed or a draining pot.
Start with the section for your seed: Medium Leaved chives (Allium schoenoprasum) and garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) are different species. Garlic chives are grown here for leaves and flowers, not for a crop of garlic cloves.
Medium Leaved chives: mild onion flavour
Common chives have slender, hollow leaves and rounded mauve-purple flowers. They form a compact perennial clump, about 15–30 cm tall. “Medium Leaved” is the product selection name; no separate named cultivar is specified. Choose a pack of Chives Medium Leaved Seeds.
Quick Grow Facts
- Seed and preparation
- Raw seed in 2 g, 20 g and 100 g packs. Sow without soaking or scarifying unless your current packet instructs otherwise.
- Depth and germination
- Cover common-chive seed with about 6 mm of fine mix. At 18–21°C, emergence often takes one to two weeks; cooler or uneven conditions can take longer. A shallow 2 mm cover can work with close moisture control.
- Clump spacing
- 20 × 20 cm for the labelled garden spacing. Divide expanding clumps when they become crowded.
- Growth and first pickings
- Upright, clumping perennial; about 15–30 cm tall. Allow roughly 100–120 days to harvest; wait for a well-rooted clump with plenty of leaves rather than cutting by the calendar alone.
- Flowers
- Mauve-purple flowerheads in spring to summer, depending on conditions. Leave some for pollinators, or remove spent stems before seed ripens.
Cover common-chive seed about 6 mm deep and keep the seed mix evenly moist through germination.
Garlic chives: flat leaves and a gentle garlic taste
Garlic chives have broader, flat leaves and loose clusters of white star-shaped flowers. This perennial can reach about 50 cm, with flower stems standing above the leaves. No named cultivar is specified. Choose a pack of Garlic Chives Seeds.
Quick Grow Facts
- Seed and preparation
- Raw seed in 2 g, 20 g and 100 g packs. No special soaking, chilling or scarifying treatment is established for this product.
- Depth and germination
- Cover 5 mm deep. Allow about 7–14 days in suitable conditions; aim for a seed-medium temperature of 18–21°C.
- Clump spacing
- Start with about 15–20 cm between clumps. Use the wider end for a lasting kitchen clump and allow more room or divide as it expands.
- Growth and first pickings
- Clumping perennial with foliage around 40–50 cm in suitable conditions. Begin with a few leaves only when the clump is rooted firmly and making strong new growth.
- Flowers
- White flower clusters usually appear later than common chives, in late summer to autumn. First-year flowering is possible, but depends on sowing date, plant size and climate.
Flower stems may reach roughly 60–90 cm in mature plants; actual size varies with growing conditions. Begin harvesting leaves only after plants are well established, and leave enough growth for the clump to recover.
Sow gently and let the roots settle
Start in modules or pots
Use clean containers and fine, free-draining seed mix. Pre-moisten it, sow a few seeds per module and cover to the depth in your species section. Both are covered sowings; do not leave seed exposed as a light-germinating surface sowing. Keep the mix damp, never saturated. A bright sheltered position is useful; avoid a hot windowsill that overheats the tray.
After emergence, give plenty of light and ventilation. Keep a small seedling cluster together. Move it on when roots hold the plug and leaves are around 10 cm tall; roughly 6–8 weeks is a planning guide, with slower growth in cold conditions.
Sow directly outdoors
Choose a weed-free patch with a fine surface and reliable moisture. Mark the row so the fine seedlings are not mistaken for grass. Sow in small groups, then thin groups to the garden spacing above. Avoid deep hoeing near their shallow roots.
Before planting tray-grown clusters outside, gradually introduce outdoor light and wind over about a week or two. Plant at the same depth, water in, and protect tender new growth from frost or harsh heat.
Growing a cut row? For managed leaf production, small seedling clusters can be planted about 5–20 cm apart, with roughly 45 cm between rows. That is a managed leaf-production system, not the space needed by every mature perennial clump. For home gardens, start with the product’s wider garden spacing; use trial rows before adopting dense planting, and widen spacing where leaves stay wet.
Choose a sowing window for your climate
“Year round” on the labels is not a promise that exposed seed will germinate in every month. These starting points adapt the plants’ moisture and temperature needs to local conditions; check your seed-medium temperature, frost forecast and watering capacity.
Winter-rainfall Western Cape
Try early autumn or spring when the seedbed is mild. During wet winters use draining containers or raised beds; during dry summers keep shallow sowings from drying out. Inland frost pockets need extra protection.
Frost-prone interior
Start under cover towards the end of winter, or sow outdoors in spring as the soil warms. Harden plants off before planting after severe frost risk. Established clumps may die back in winter; reduce watering while dormant without letting container roots dry completely.
Humid coast and KZN Midlands
On the warm coast, favour milder autumn or spring conditions and good air movement. Keep crowns out of soggy soil during heavy rain. In cooler Midlands gardens, use local frost dates rather than coastal timing.
Hot-dry or subtropical interior
Start in cooler months or a sheltered nursery during mild weather. Morning sun with light afternoon shade can ease heat stress. Check pots daily in hot spells; regular root-zone moisture supports leaf growth. Do not sow into a baking, dry surface.
Care for clumps and keep fresh leaves coming
Give both species sun, fertile soil and drainage. Work mature compost into poor ground; aim for moisture that reaches the roots without leaving the crown waterlogged. A light mulch helps between clumps, but keep it away from the crown. For pots, use drainage holes and a good potting mix; common chives can start in a pot at least 20 cm wide and deep, while garlic chives benefits from more room as it grows.
Feed modestly when active growth needs support, especially in pots, following the fertiliser label. More fertiliser will not correct a dark position or waterlogged roots. Neither species needs routine pinching or a climbing support. Shelter flower stalks from strong wind and support them only if needed.
Snip selected healthy leaves with clean scissors, leaving about 3–5 cm above the base. Keep enough foliage for a young clump to recover. Let new leaves lengthen before the next cut; regrowth after a larger cut takes weeks, and slows in cold or stressful weather. Tough spent flower stalks can be removed at their base. Lift and divide crowded established clumps every few years during mild weather, then replant and water well.
For common chives, harvest leaves before flowering for tenderness. Garlic chives also responds to cutting, but do not strip a weak clump just because a harvest date has arrived. Remove garlic-chive flowerheads before ripe seed scatters if you do not want seedlings spreading through the garden.
When seeds or young plants struggle
No seedlings?
Check the sowing date, actual soil temperature and depth. Shallow seed can dry out between waterings; cold mix delays emergence, while soggy mix can rot seed. Old or poorly stored seed may also perform badly. Keep a sowing record and try a small fresh batch in controlled conditions; do not assume every seed will germinate.
Seedlings collapse or fail to settle?
Wet, crowded trays with poor airflow encourage damping-off. Use clean trays, fresh seed mix and gentler watering. After transplanting, check for dry plugs, buried crowns, sun scorch or frost injury. Give surviving plants time to root before harvesting.
Yellow, weak or slow leaves?
Check drainage, light and moisture before feeding. Repeated close cutting, crowded roots and winter dormancy can all reduce growth. Ease harvesting and divide a congested clump when weather is mild.
Marked leaves?
Silvery streaks can indicate thrips; damp-weather leaf disease is another possibility. Inspect leaves and the crown, improve airflow, water the soil rather than leaving foliage wet overnight, and seek a local diagnosis if damage persists. Use only a product registered for the edible crop and problem, observing its label and harvest interval.
Enjoy the leaves; handle sowing seed carefully
Both correctly identified species have edible leaves and flowers. Wash harvested material and avoid flowers or leaves exposed to unsuitable sprays. Keep chives away from pets: alliums can harm dogs and cats.
Use seed only for sowing. Do not eat it or use it for sprouts or microgreens. Follow all treatment and handling precautions on the packet; never wash or remove a seed treatment to make sowing seed edible.