The Easy-To-Grow Herb You'll Want To Plant Indoors Or Out For All Of Its Benefits

It's always gratifying to successfully grow herbs to season your food. It's even more satisfying when the herb is simple to grow under a variety of growing conditions and is tolerant of cold and drought. Chive plants (Allium schoenoprasum) fill this bill, plus they take up little space in the garden. This herbaceous perennial with mild onion flavor is cold-hardy up to USDA Zone 3. Chives have medicinal properties and a 4,000-year history of medicinal use that continues today. They suffer no major insect or disease problems. The tasty herbs are said to have air-purifying properties. And let's not forget the gorgeous (and edible!), globe-like purple blooms that chives produce, attracting pollinators. Some gardeners use them in ornamental plantings and flower arrangements. Among many decorative uses in the landscape, chives make the best border for a cottagecore garden.

Arguably, the biggest benefit of chives from a gardener's perspective is that they can be grown indoors or outside. Which choice should you make to grow these flavorful herbs? Let's consider the benefits of each.

Want to access your chives year-round? Their extended growing season is the big benefit of growing them indoors. You can also avoid the inconvenience of running out to the garden to harvest chives when you're in the middle of cooking a recipe that calls for them. Even though outdoor chive plants do well under various garden conditions, you have much more control indoors over conditions, such as temperature, weather, and moisture. While individual chive plants are compact, they need to be spaced 6-12 inches apart when planted outside, so indoors is the way to go if you lack sufficient garden space.

Here's how to grow chives indoors. Select pots 7 to 12 inches deep, and ensure they have holes for drainage. You can choose seeds or rooted clumps. Your growing medium should be a houseplant potting mix that drains well. Place the potted plants in a bright, sunny location so they get four to six hours of light daily. A temperature range of 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit will keep chives happy indoors. 

Don't expect much growth in the winter under lower light conditions, but also don't apply fertilizer in winter to try to spur growth. Indoor chives need consistent moisture, but don't overwater, as root rot can occur. Wait until the top inch of soil dries out before you water again. Harvesting is a simple matter of snipping leaves at the base. Snip outer leaves first, so leaves at the center can continue to grow.

If you have the space outdoors, you can obviously grow a lot more chives than you can inside, so if you want a big crop, outside is the way to go. Thanks to their smell, chives can also act as a natural pest repellent for tomato plants and other veggie and flower plants, but you won't likely have the opportunity to use the companion properties of this herb indoors. As noted, outdoor-planted chives enjoy the benefit of visits from pollinators. 

To grow chives outdoors, direct-sow seeds in well-drained, nutrient-rich soil after the last frost date and once the soil is warm. You can also start seeds indoors and transplant as seedlings. Some experts say rooted clumps of chives are easier to grow than seeds. Chives thrive in full sun. Though you may see fewer flowers, partial shade is also acceptable. Consider using mulch for weed control so you don't damage relatively shallow chive roots while weeding. Provide moisture consistently. Chives should not need fertilizer, but if you see that continuous harvests have taken their toll on the plants, you can lightly apply a 5-10-5 fertilizer once each spring. 

Expect blooms in mid-spring or early summer. Chives are low-maintenance and will replant themselves in the garden every year, so if you don't want more, discourage self-seeding by deadheading or removing the entire flower stalk at the end of blooming. Begin to harvest when leaves are 6 inches tall. Harvest as you would an indoor chive plant. Even while being harvested, chives will continue to produce new leaves, although they will take a few weeks to replenish themselves. Propagate or reduce crowding by dividing clumps every two to three years.