Why Chives Make a Fantastic Survival Crop

Posted on 2023-12-282025-08-25 by Bert Swope

Chives can effectively protect other vegetables against the threats posed by aphids, carrot flies and other pests that attack them, while making an excellent addition to crops that are vulnerable to damage from such threats.

Provide your chives with moderate but consistent watering for best results. Overwatering can deplete soil nutrients and result in limp foliage; while drought conditions can result in thin stems.

Easy to Grow

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are edible leaves from perennial onion plants that make an easy addition to many savory dishes, making it the ideal option for gardeners with limited space and experience growing vegetables. Their edible leaves make an attractive garnish on many savory dishes and their cultivation couldn’t be simpler!

Many people can become confused as to the difference between chives and green onions; however, these two plants serve different functions and use cases. Although related, chives are considered herbs while green onions belong in the vegetable family.

Chives and green onions both belong to the Allium genus; however, chives differ by having narrow white bulbs at their bases with long hollow stems that resemble blades of grass. There are various varieties of chives such as garlic chives and Siberian chives; all share an earthy onion flavor.

Since chives are so delicate, they work best when used as garnish or added raw foods such as potato salad, soups and omelets. You can cook chives briefly to add flavor and texture, although this won’t hold up under high heat temperatures; green onions on the other hand tend to be more durable and can withstand longer cooking sessions while still imparting their full range of flavors.

Nutritional Value

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) make an invaluable addition to any survival garden. Not only are these hardy perennial herbs packed with nutritional value and easy to cultivate, they’re also highly resilient against various climate and soil conditions, making them a versatile addition that deters pests while simultaneously drawing in beneficial insects that pollinate other plants!

Chives are an excellent source of vitamins C, K, folate and potassium as well as being high in dietary fiber, helping promote digestive health and regularity. In addition, research has indicated they possess anti-inflammatory properties.

Chives require rich, well-drained soil for proper growth. When planting them, dig in 4 to 6 inches of well-decomposed compost and water thoroughly afterward. Since chives grow clumpily, it’s essential that regular division takes place to ensure their robust growth.

Once your harvest of chives has been harvested, they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or used to create herbal vinegar that can be used on vegetables, salads or meat as marinade – an easy and delicious way to add a boost of fresh, healthy flavor to cooked food!

Perennial

Chives are perennial plants, meaning that each year they provide gardeners with delicious and nutritious additions to vegetable, herb and flower gardens. Plus, their containers allow easy growth if living in climates with short growing seasons or limited outdoor space – ideal!

Chives make an attractive, edible border or backdrop in any garden and perennial flower beds – plus, their presence attracts pollinating insects!

These plants flourish best in full sun or partial shade and prefer well-drained soil rich in compost or organic matter, as well as receiving regular watering and fertilization with nitrogen-rich fertilizers applied in spring and summer to achieve maximum yields.

For best results when starting from seeds, sow them in late winter or early spring and keep the potting mix moist until germination occurs. Or buy seedlings from a nursery during spring and summer; once transplanted into your garden or container.

Medicinal Uses

One of the great advantages of growing chives is their ease of cultivation. They thrive under diverse environmental conditions and thrive under direct sun. While they prefer warmer conditions, chive plants also thrive in cooler weather and produce both leaves and flowers for harvesting as needed; making chives an invaluable addition to any survival garden!

Pollinators-rich flowers such as coneflower are an essential addition to urban gardens, helping prevent unwanted pests from entering while drawing beneficial insects and maintaining soil health. Their blooms of purple to white globular petals can attract bees, providing food sources often lacking for these essential critters.

Chives are easy to grow from seed and can be transplanted directly into either pots or the ground, depending on your preferences. They thrive in full sun or partial shade and prefer an organic soil rich with drainage – amend the ground before planting with a combination of sand and compost before sowing seeds! After becoming established, chives require minimal fertilization once established; however, for best results use an organic fish emulsion-based fertilizer once every month during growing season for topdressing purposes.

Space Efficient

Chives, unlike some herbs that require specific planting conditions, grow easily across many climates and soil types. Transplantation is also straightforward. When selecting where to plant them in your garden, keep plenty of room in mind as these perennial plants will only become stronger year after year.

Chives tend to form large clumps when grown together, and once too large should be divided and each section replanted (propagated). This method provides the best chance of keeping chives coming for years!

Chive plants provide many medicinal advantages that can assist with digestion, diuresis and reduce inflammation in the body. Plus, their beautiful blossoms make great garnishes or can even be used as ingredients in cooking!

Chives, the close relative of green onions and leeks, make an ideal addition to any survival garden. Easy to grow, nutritional and boasting many culinary and medicinal uses – give chives a try in your garden this season; you won’t regret it. Additionally, sign up now for Alderleaf eNews for even more wilderness skills training!

Pollinator-Friendly

Chives are easy to grow in any garden or container. As hardy perennials, they return year after year – perfect for limited spaces or climates that cannot support annuals.

Ornamental flowers such as marigolds make beautiful additions to flower gardens and home and kitchen gardens alike, serving as decorative borders or edible accents that can be added directly into meals such as herb vinegar or used simply to adorn salads. Their flowers can also be harvested and used in cooking recipes like herb vinegar.

Chives don’t require special growing conditions, but for optimal success they require well-drained soils in full sun with well-draining qualities and full sunlight exposure. Unfortunately they do not tolerate shade or cool temperatures well and their underground runners need to be managed in order to control their spread.

For optimal results, sow your chives seeds early spring in pots or modular trays filled with seed compost and covered with vermiculite. When tiny grass-like seedlings appear, transfer them to sunny windowsills or outdoor planting beds once they reach 10 cm (4 in). Regular watering of both leaves and roots once every week should keep them well hydrated; while homemade compost tea isn’t usually necessary as an extra boost of nutrition for these perennial plants.

Colorful Flowers

Chives make an attractive and edible addition to the garden, providing beautiful pinky-mauve flowers in late spring and summer that not only look stunning but can be enjoyed for their decorative qualities as well as culinary uses – salads, soups or even sprinkled over eggs, fish dishes or baked potatoes are perfect places for these blooms to shine! Additionally, the flowers provide nectar for pollinators insects.

Chive leaves have mild onion flavors that make them ideal for many culinary uses, from salad toppings and meat marinades to soups or even adding them to omelets. Chives can even be fermented into fragrant herb vinegar for even greater versatility!

Growing chives indoors or in containers requires planting as soon as the weather warms up reliably; their fast growth requires direct sunlight for maximum success.

Chives like most herbs need well-drained soil amended with compost or organic matter for optimal conditions, and minimal fertilization; when planting new beds or pots of chives each spring add one teaspoon of nitrogen-heavy organic fertilizer as this will aid with nutrient uptake and absorption. Tilling will damage shallow roots and slow their development.