Chives

Allium schoenoprasum

The leaves taste mildly of onion and you can eat the purple flowers too. The clump comes back every spring. Every three or four years, dig it up, pull it into smaller clumps and replant them to keep it strong.

Looking after it

Water: Chives need normal watering. In the first summer, water them in dry spells. After that, chives in the ground manage on their own. In a pot, keep the compost evenly moist. Feeding: They need little food. In the ground, some compost at planting time is enough. In a pot, a general liquid feed now and then in summer keeps new leaves coming.

Picking and keeping

Snip leaves just above the base whenever you need them. The more often you cut, the more you get. After flowering, cut the whole clump back to about 5 cm and it will send up lots of fresh leaves. Cut chives wilt within a few days. To use them in winter, chop them and freeze them in a bag or an ice cube tray.

What can go wrong

Rust. Raised orange spots appear on the leaves. Cut the clump right back and put the leaves in the bin. The new growth usually comes up clean.
Aphids. Small greenfly cluster on the leaves and flower stalks. Rub them off or wash them off with a jet of water.

Growing facts: RHS, UC ANR and seed-company sowing guides. Chive care: RHS. pH: University of Minnesota extension.