Learn everything you need to know about growing chives in pots, including planting instructions, care tips, and pest control.
Although you can grow chives in the soil of a vegetable garden, growing potted chives is a great option if you live in an apartment, want to grow herbs indoors, or prefer having an outdoor deck garden.
It’s easy to water, harvest, and maintain the size of chives grown in pots. Plus, if you live in a cold climate, growing chives in pots allows you to move them indoors over the winter.
This beginner-friendly, perennial herb is hardy and fast-growing with a long producing season. You can harvest the fresh leaves and use them in recipes, or preserve them for later by freezing them.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about growing chives in containers, including their sunlight, soil, and watering needs. You can also download a free chive plant care printable from the project card at the bottom of this post.
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Chive plant care overview
The table below provides a quick guide to the optimal chive growing conditions.
| Common name | Chives |
| Botanical name | Allium schoenoprasum |
| Family | Amaryllidaceae |
| Plant type | Herb, perennial |
| Sunlight needs | At least 6 hours of full sun a day |
| Soil requirements | Well-draining soil, rich in organic matter |
| Soil pH | Slightly acidic to neutral, 6.0 – 7.0 |
| Bloom time | Late spring to early summer |
| Flower color | Light purple to pinkish purple |
| Hardiness zones | 3-9 |
| Native area | Parts of Europe, Asia, and North America |
How to plant chives in pots
Choose a container with drainage holes on the bottom. The pot should be large enough to give the chives roots room to grow, since they will spread out as the herb matures.
A good rule of thumb is to choose a plant pot that is 2-3 inches larger than the root ball of your chives. If you’re planting multiple chives seedlings, space them about 6 inches apart to give them room to spread.
Use a well-draining potting mix that has been amended with compost. Even though chives will grow in less-than-ideal soil, they won’t grow as fast, so organic matter is necessary for optimum growth.
Chives like soil that is slightly acidic to neutral, with a soil pH of 6.0 to 7.0. You can test your soil with a soil meter to ensure it falls within that range.
Chives sun requirements
Place your container of chives where it will receive at least 6 hours of sunlight a day.
If you’re growing chives indoors, place your plant pot on a sunny windowsill. If the spot doesn’t get enough sunlight, you can supplement it with grow lights.
If you’re growing chives outdoors, choose a south or west-facing area of the garden or patio to put your potted chives. In the hottest climates, chives will grow in semi-sunny or partially shaded spots.
How often to water chives
Chives in pots require more water than chives planted in the ground. They need about 1 inch of water a week. A good rule of thumb is to water when the top 1-2 inches of soil feel dry to the touch.
Give chives consistent watering throughout the growing season. Water deeply and allow the excess water to drain out of the bottom of the pot.
Avoid letting the pot sit in water, as soggy soil can lead to root rot.
The frequency of watering depends on the climate and location of the pot. Indoors, this might mean watering once a week. Outdoors, in hot sun, it could mean daily.
Fertilizing requirements for chives in pots
Chives grown in pots require regular fertilization, especially during the active growing season. The roots of the plant will deplete the available nutrients in the potting soil over time.
Fertilize every 4–6 weeks with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer at half strength.
Cold hardiness of chives
Chives are a cold-weather perennial herb that is evergreen in warm winter regions. They can withstand a light frost.
They are cold-hardy in USDA zones 3-9. This means that they will die back in the colder zones during the winter but will re-sprout the following spring.
Onions and chives have similar growing conditions because they are both part of the Allium family.
How big do chives grow?
Chives in pots can grow 12 to 24 inches tall, and if given room, will spread to about 12 inches wide.
Their compact size makes them ideal for growing in window boxes, on patios, or on balconies.
How to harvest chives
Chives are a cut-and-grow-again herb, which means they will regrow after you cut the leaves off. They are relatively fast-growing.
They will mature about 30 days after you transplant them or about 60 days after starting chives from seeds. You can start harvesting chives as soon as the leaves are about 6 inches tall.
To harvest chives in pots, cut the leaves 1 to 2 inches from the base using sharp, clean scissors. New leaves will regrow around the cut areas.
Be sure to leave at least ⅓ of the plant to ensure future growth.
If chives are allowed to flower, the plant will direct its energy from leaf growth to seed production. For this reason, it’s best to pinch off the flowers off the plant.
Chive flowers are edible and can be used as a garnish, so don’t throw them away!
When harvesting chive leaves, it’s best to use them fresh in recipes, since their flavor is almost completely lost when the herb is dried.
When the growing season ends, you can freeze extra chives in ice cube trays with oil or butter to use later.
Pests and predators
Aphids have a complex relationship with chives. They enjoy feeding on the young and tender, nitrogen-rich leaves of chives.
However, once the plant reaches maturity, it releases sulfuric compounds, which repel aphids. These compounds disorient the aphids, rendering them unable to find host plants.
Mature chives are an excellent companion plant for vegetables, flowers, and other herbs. Most other critters and insects avoid chives entirely because of their oniony flavor and aroma.
Spider mites and mealybugs can be a problem for chives grown in pots indoors.
Root rot can be a problem for plants that have been over-watered.
Propagating chives
The best way to propagate chives is by dividing mature plants.
Gently lift the plant from its pot and separate the roots into smaller sections. Replant the sections with fresh soil in new pots. Be sure each section has both roots and green growth.
It is best to divide chives in the spring or fall, rather than during the summer months when they are under stress from the hot weather.
Chives care tips printable
If you’d like a reminder of how to grow chives in pots, you can print out this high-resolution image. You can also get the chives care tips from the project card at the bottom of the post in a slightly smaller size.
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Enhance the flavor of your recipes with fresh chives! 🌿🪴 Learn how to grow chives in a pot with simple tips for light, watering, and maintenance. #HerbGardening #ContainerGardening #GrowChives #KitchenGarden #GardeningTips Share on XPin this post for growing chives in pots
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You can also watch this YouTube slideshow video about planting, growing, and harvesting chives!
Admin note: This post on chives growing conditions first appeared on the blog in February of 2018. It has been updated with all new photos, a printable care card for growing chives in pots, and a video for you to enjoy.
Chives Care Tips Printable
Chives are an easy-to-care-for herb with a mild onion-like flavor.
This printable shows how to grow chives in pots.
Print it out and save it for reference later.
Materials
- Printer paper
Tools
- Computer
- Printer
Instructions
- Load your computer paper into your printer.
- Using the print function on this card will give you a list of chives care tips that fills about 3/4 of an 8.5 x 11-inch sheet of paper.
- Choose portrait layout and, if possible, "fit to page" in your settings. Doing this will fill the entire page.
- Alternatively, you can use this link to print the chives growing tips as a high-resolution image, using the print feature in your browser window.
- After you get this list of tips for growing chives in pots, you can save it to use later.
- Please note: Free gardening printables take a long time to make. This list of chives care tips is for personal use only. If you are sharing this list (and thank you for that!), please link directly to this post and not to the actual image. We appreciate your help in supporting the site. This gardening printable may not be used for any retail purpose or mass distribution.
Notes
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R Anders
Wednesday 6th of October 2021
Chives are NOT in the lily family. They are in the Amaryllidaceae family and the Allium genus, most closely related to onions and garlic. Please correct your botanical info!
Carol Speake
Thursday 7th of October 2021
Thank you for the information. Some classifications have alliums in the lily family, but you are correct. The correct family is amaryllidaceae.
FrannyandDanny
Friday 9th of March 2018
Your site is making me weep for joy. Your posts are so informative and thorough. I absolutely love everything I read. So useful and we head toward self-sufficiency.
Carol
Thursday 15th of March 2018
Thank you so much for the kind comment. It was a pleasure for me to read.