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Allium (Onion / Garlic / Scallion / Chive) · Allium

Chives New · Sep 2026

Common/onion chives — 4 plants from The Growers Exchange (Sept 12) + 3 from Pike (Oct 4)

SpringSummerFall

Seven clumps total. Plant as divisions, not seed: bag 4 (herb bag), a 10" pot at the allium station, and the sunniest bed corners. The three Pike clumps are modest — nursery-pot size, roughly 8-12 shoots each — so plant them whole this fall rather than splitting them; a clump that size divided three ways just gives three weak starts going into winter. Shear the long floppy greenhouse growth back to 2-3" at planting so they put energy into roots, and divide in spring once they have bulked up. Divide every 2-3 years after that and they are permanent.

Chives — Young Young
Seedling / just planted

Chive seedlings sprouting from soil, just-emerged thread-like shoots

Photo: Norman21· CC BY-SA 3.0

Chives — Growing Growing
Established, filling in

Established green chive clump with multiple grass-like leaves, not yet flowering

Photo: Sonia Paź-Dyderska· CC BY-NC

Chives — Full grown Full grown
What you’re aiming for

Full-grown chive clump covered in purple flower heads in a garden bed

Photo: Captain-tucker· CC BY-SA 3.0

Growing stages

What to look for, and what to do, at each point in its life

Common chives go into Luke's beds as a live clump division rather than seed, spend their first year quietly building roots, then settle into a yearly rhythm of spring growth and purple blooms, a hard summer slowdown in Georgia's heat, a fall comeback, and a division every 2 to 3 years once the clump gets crowded.

  1. 1

    Planting the Division

    Spring or fall, Zone 8a

    You'll see You're setting a small clump of grass-like, hollow, round leaves with a dense mat of roots at the base, rather than starting from seed.

    Do Dig a hole about as wide and deep as the root mass, set the division in at the same depth it was growing before, backfill, and water in well.

  2. 2

    First-Year Establishment

    First growing season after planting

    You'll see The clump stays relatively small and modest-looking compared to a mature plant, sending up a moderate number of thin leaves without the dense, full look chives get in later years.

    Do Resist the urge to harvest heavily this first year; take only light, occasional snips if you need a few leaves.

  3. 3

    Spring Growth and Bloom

    March through May, Zone 8a

    You'll see The clump sends up a flush of fresh, bright green hollow leaves, followed by round, purple pom-pom flower heads on stiff stalks rising above the foliage.

    Do Harvest leaves regularly by snipping near the base, and pick some flowers to eat while leaving a few if you want them to go to seed.

  4. 4

    Post-Bloom Cutback

    Late spring to early summer, after flowering finishes

    You'll see Flower stalks fade, dry, and turn brown or papery, and the surrounding leaves start to look coarser and less appetizing than the tender spring growth.

    Do Cut the entire clump back to about 2 inches above the soil once blooming is done.

  5. 5

    Summer Slowdown

    June through August, Zone 8a

    You'll see Growth noticeably slows, leaves may look sparse, pale, or partially die back, and the clump can look ragged or semi-dormant during the hottest, most humid stretches.

    Do Keep watering during dry spells but don't fertilize heavily or expect much new growth; let the plant coast through the heat.

  6. 6

    Fall Flush

    September through November, Zone 8a

    You'll see As temperatures cool, the clump fills back in with fresh, tender green leaves, often looking nearly as full and vigorous as the spring flush.

    Do Resume regular harvesting, and cut back any remaining ragged summer growth to make room for the new leaves.

  7. 7

    Dividing an Overgrown Clump

    Every 2 to 3 years, spring or fall

    You'll see The clump has grown dense and crowded, with a hollow, woody, or dead-looking center and leaves that seem thinner or less vigorous than a few years back.

    Do Dig up the whole clump and split it into smaller sections, each with its own roots and leaves, then replant.

Techniques — transplant, prune, propagate, divide, seed

Sun

Full sun

Water

Even moisture; ease off before harvest.

Spacing

Bags/cells; 24" round felt bags for the allium station. Bulb onions get their own ground…

Feeding

Feed early; STOP feeding garlic/onions 3–4 weeks before harvest.

Care

  • Cut garlic/onion scapes immediately to redirect energy to bulbs.
  • Fall planting: order seed garlic July–Aug; onion transplants order mid-Oct for a mid-Nov ship (Dixondale). Garlic goes in in October, onion transplants in November.
  • Buy onion transplants rather than starting from seed — onion seed is viable only 1–2 years and wants 8–10 weeks in flats.

Harvest

Onions when tops flop; garlic when lower leaves brown. Granex/sweet onions that bolt early can be harvested as spring onions.

Watch for

Early bolting in warm spring — harvest as spring onions if it happens.