A Step by step guide to growing chives from seed

Chives are a must have plant in a UK herb garden. Whether you are a seasoned gardener or a beginner these hardy perennial plants are easy to grow and offer a wealth of culinary possibilities. 

When to sow your chives?

As with growing many plants in the UK timing is Key to success. There are 2 main sowing times for chives, the spring or autumn:

Spring sowing (March- May): This is my preference; it will give the plants a head start as well as leading to less seeds which do not germinate.

Autumn sowing (September-October): This is a traditional time to sow many hardy perennials. It allows the plants to overwinter and then germinate in the spring. Sowing in the autumn will mean more time from sowing to using the herb but will work well.

Where to sow?

Chives can be sown into pots as well as straight into the garden. In fact, you can grow chives in much the same way you would grow a traditional vegetable, it is part of the onion family after all. When sowing and then growing straight into the ground choosing the right location is important. Chives thrive in a sunny spot but will tolerate a bit of shade. When it comes to soil conditions, they prefer a well-drained fertile soil. 

What you need

Compost: A good quality multi-purpose compost is ideal. When choosing compost, pay special attention to drainage. You do not want your seedlings sitting in waterlogged compost. Many multi-purpose composts will contain wood chips or other organic materials which really do help with drainage. If the compost you have does not contain something to help it drain you can always add some wood chip or gravel. If you are growing your chive seeds in the ground, make sure you know that the soil will drain well. If you have concerns about this, it is worth digging in a bit of gravel or wood chip which will aid the drainage.

A pot or cell tray: If sowing your seeds in the ground you can skip this bit. If not, you will need a pot, cell tray or container. This does not need to be brand new, in fact a second hand pot that a plant came in last year is perfect. Just make sure the pot is clean; you do not want any weeds popping up rather than your chives. When it comes to size a 5-9cm pot is ideal if you plant to pot your chives plants up later, if you are planning on sowing, growing a cutting the plants in the same pot something a bit bigger will be better. For this I would use a pot around 15-30cm in diameter (the depth does not matter to much)

Chive seeds (yes, I know this is obvious): you will of course need some chive seeds. There are a few different varieties available all of which give you lovely, tasty plants to use. It is worth going for seed from a reputable source of good quality seed. The last thing you want to do is put all the work in only to fail because the seed was poor quality.

How to Sow Chives in the UK

Now you have everything you need it is time to get sowing. Make sure you check out the video for my “follow-along” version or use this step-by-step guide to sow you chives seeds. This guide focuses on sowing chive seed into a pot but the steps for sowing into the ground are the same.

Preparation: As with many things in the garden, preparation is key. I like to empty my chive seeds onto a plate or bowl, it makes it much easier to handle. Plus, you don’t tend to lose as many seeds when they role of your hand never to be seen again.

Fill your pot with your compost: When sowing seeds, you do not want a “lumpy” compost. If you have big lumps in the compost discard these. Place the compost into the pot being careful not to compact the compost. Do not fill all the way to the top, just keep the compost a little bit shy of the top.

Sow the seeds: Now it is time to place the seeds in the compost. We are not burring the seeds, rather just placing them on the surface. I am using a 9cm pot in the video, for this I will sow 10 seeds per pot. As you would have seen by now Chive seeds are quite small. 10 seeds is an estimate do not worry if you get a few more or less. Place the seeds in the centre of the pot, however you do not want them all bunched up. For the pot I am using I am looking to spread the 10 seeds over the area of a 2 pence piece in the centre.

Cover the seeds: Because of the size of chive seeds I prefer to cover them rather than bury them. I do this with the same compost we used to fill the pot with. A nice thin layer is perfect. We want to only just cover the seeds. You can use perlite or vermiculite if you prefer but compost does just as good a job.

Label the pots: This is particularly important if you are going to sow lots of different seeds. It can be very useful to know what is in the pots as when confronted with pots of soil you will not know what you have got in front of you.

Water well: It is now time to water the seeds. A gentle approach to this is best, the best technique is to water gently over the top. When that water has sunk in, repeat this process until the compost is soaked through and starts coming out of the base to the pot.

Where to keep the pots: Chives germinate quickest between 15 and 21 Celsius. Indoors this is easy to achieve. A windowsill, heated conservatory or warm room is ideal. If you are sowing your seeds outside in the UK, the ground temperature is normally warm enough by late spring.

Aftercare: Keeping your plants in a nice bright spot is ideal. Chives prefer a lot of light; this is particularly the case in the initial stages when the plants are not yet established. One if the key areas of chive care for seedings is watering. It is an area many people are concerned about. You are looking to keep the compost moist but not waterlogged. Depending on the weather this may mean watering every day, however, make sure you feel how moist the compost is before watering.

How long do chives take to germinate

Chives will germinate in around 1 to 3 weeks depending on the conditions. If they do take a bit longer than this do not worry, it is not uncommon, it does not mean your seeds have failed.

Potting on Chives:

I will be covering potting on chives in a later blog, but I thought it was worth mentioning that in the early stages chives can be slow to establish. It is important to wait until your plants are well established before potting on or harvesting your chives.