How to grow chives
Frost-hardy · Onion family
When to sow and plant
- Start indoors 22 February – 8 March
Based on: average for Germany, last frost 19 April, safe from 6 May
Planting calendar for your areaWhere the dates come from
The weeks come from our sources; the dates use the average frost in Germany. Enter a German postcode to get dates for your area.
- Start indoors: 6–8 weeks before the last frost (Johnny's Selected Seeds: Chives – Key Growing Information)
Good and bad neighbours
We don’t know any sourced neighbours for this plant yet.
Crop rotation
Perennial: it stays in the same spot for several years and is not part of the yearly rotation.
At a glance
- Family
- Onion family (Amaryllidaceae)
- Nutrient needs
- Light feeder
- Frost
- Hardy, tolerates frost
- Spacing (row × plant)
- 30 × 30 cm (12 × 12 in)
- Plants per m²
- 11.1
- Per square foot (30 × 30 cm)
- 2 plants
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Harvest
- After 60 days from sowing
Spacing according to University of Maryland Extension: Chives. Other sources: 10 × 10 cm (4 × 4 in) (Utah State University Extension: Chives in the Garden).
Questions and answers
How far apart should I plant chives?
30 × 30 cm (12 × 12 in) (row × plant), according to University of Maryland Extension: Chives.
More from the onion family
Sources
Show 8 sources
- Landwirtschaftskammer Schleswig-Holstein: Fruchtfolge im Garten (Gartenmerkblatt, 2020)
- Illinois Extension, Herb Gardening: Chives
- University of Maryland Extension: Chives
- Utah State University Extension: Chives in the Garden
- Phipps Conservatory: Square Foot Gardening (PDF)
- Johnny's Selected Seeds: Chives – Key Growing Information
- Südtiroler Bauernbund: Merkblatt Fruchtfolgen im Gemüsebau (Oktober 2022)
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (über die GBIF-API, species/match)
Retrieved on 23 October 2026. Facts in our own words, one source per value.