Sowing

• Chives can be grown by sowing seeds directly in a planter or container filled with good quality, well-drained soil mix.
• Fill a container with drainage holes with a rich but well-draining potting mix and sprinkle the Chives seeds in top.
• Cover the sprinkled Chives seeds with 1-2 cm of potting mix. Don’t cover it too deep.
• Water immediately using a misting spray so as not too diplace the topsoil. Drench the growing medium generously
• mist daily to keep the surface moist till the seeds germinate in 2-3 weeks. Do not tlet the medium dry out.
• Keep your pots in semi shade while the seeds germinate. Once the germination happens, prune away any seedlings that are not growing in a healthy manner to make space for the healthy seedlings.

Caring

• The seeds will sprout within two weeks from sowing, give them full sun (6-8 hours) to partial sun (3-4 hours)In less than 2 weeks your chive seeds will start to sprout.
• While the chives are growing, keep the soil moist at all times and add a uniform layer of vermicompost for better yield
• Once the purple flowers bloom, remove them to avoid self-seeding. Chives can grow 12-24 inches tall and have a tendency to spread a foot horizontally.
• Divide the plants every 3 - 4 years during monsoon. Allow these distributed plants to grow for several weeks and then harvest.
• You can start harvesting chives 60 days from sowing once the plant is 6 inches tall or more. Cut it back to approximately 1 or 2 inches above the soil. The plant can be harvested 3-4 times in the first year and every month from the next year.

Common Problems

1. Why are my Chive seeds not germinating?
Chives grow well in full sunlight ( 6-8 hours) but can tolerate even partial sunlight ( 3-4 hours). If your seeds do not receive any sunlight at all, they will fail to germinate. Chive seeds also need rich and moist soil to grow well. Make sure you are keeping in mind all these conditions before sowing your chive seeds.

2. Why is my Chive plant turning yellow?
If your chive plant runs out of space, or some leaves turn older, they turn yellow. Apart from this, reasons like too much or too little water, improper temperature and light conditions can also lead to yellowing of chive leaves.

3. Why are my chives droopy?
Over or under - watering, insufficient light, inadequate temperature, poor potting mix or a pest infestation can all cause droopy chives. Determine the actual cause of your droopy chives before finding the appropriate solution.