Growing, Harvesting and Using Garlic Chives
Description
Garlic chives are a clumping, perennial herb grown both for culinary and ornamental purposes in the garden. This perennial is one of the easiest herbs to grow in containers or directly in the ground, growing up to 35cm in height. As the name suggests, the leaves have a mild garlic/onion flavour, a perfect substitute for garlic if short on garden space or if you’re after a quick growing herb.
Growing conditions
Garlic chives prefer full sun or part shade in the garden. The plant thrives in rich, well-draining soil and benefits from fortnightly feeds of organic liquid fertiliser such as seaweed solution or worm tea. They can be planted along borders of gardens, in containers or inter-planted around the vegetable patch or fruit trees.
Sowing Garlic Chive Seeds
To plant garlic chives, sow seeds in pots or directly in the ground 0.5cm deep in groups of 3-4 seeds and keep watered to germinate. Seeds can be sown all year round in most climates outside extreme hot and cold temperatures. Once established, garlic chives are hardy and will withstand drier conditions, however the plants do benefit from moisture around the roots.
Harvesting and Using Garlic Chives
Typically, garlic chives will take between 5-8 weeks to mature ready for picking. To harvest, cut individual stalks as needed with scissors either all the way to the ground or right above the soil to encourage new growth. Both the flowers and flower stalks are edible.
Garlic chives and flowers can be used in raw and cooked recipes and have a rich flavour which can be described as a mix of onion and garlic. They are regularly used in many Asian dishes including stir-fry, tempura and dumplings and often added to flavour soups, stews and salads. Garlic chives can be preserved in many ways such as freezing and dehydrating or using the leaves or flowers to infuse vinegar or butter for herb bread.
Once established, the plant can be divided every few years to ensure an endless supply of this wonderful herb.
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