Chives Broad-Leaved (Edible Flowers)

What Chives Broad-Leaved (Edible Flowers) is

Chives Broad-Leaved (Edible Flowers) (Allium schoenoprasum L.) is a perennial herb of the Onion family (Amaryllidaceae). The flowers of wild onion are edible, as are the stems. You can eat the flowers raw, pickle them, fry them, add them as an edible garnish, use them to flavour seasonings or sprinkle them on a dish as a spice.

The flowers of wild onion are not only edible but also good for you.

Because the flowers of wild onion are milder than the onion itself, they are ideal for beautiful garnishes where you do not want to overpower the other flavours in the dish.

Garlic chives and chives give fine stalks with a mild onion-garlic aroma — for salads, eggs and dairy sauces. They are perennial and flower beautifully.

Key features

• Measured germination rate of the batch: 90%
• Pack size: 0.6 g
• Seed origin: Denmark
• Sowing: March – May; direct or transplants
• Flowering: June – August
• Harvest: July – September
• Position: sun to partial shade

When to sow Chives Broad-Leaved (Edible Flowers)

Chives Broad-Leaved (Edible Flowers) seeds are sown in March – May. The plants flower in June – August. Harvest in July – September. The months are a guide for a temperate climate — in warmer areas sow 1–2 weeks earlier, in cooler or upland areas, later.

How to sow and grow Chives Broad-Leaved (Edible Flowers)

• Sowing method: direct or seedlings
• Depth: 0.5–1 cm
• Spacing: 20 cm
• Germination: 10–14 days at 15–20 °C
• Position: sun to partial shade

Prefers full sun to a sunny spot. Ideally the plant should be in full sun for half the day, but it can also cope with partly shaded places. On the other hand, wild onion does not want to stand in complete shade. The soil should be rich in humus and nutrients. In addition, this tasty herb likes evenly moist soil. However, it does not cope with waterlogging at all. The best time to start sowing is from late March. The pre-sown seedlings can then be planted in the garden bed from mid-May. Direct sowing in the bed can be done from April to August.

Sow in spring; water regularly and trim off the flowers if you want more leaves.

Harvest and use

Cut the stalks 3–5 cm above the ground — they will regrow.

Frequently asked questions

When should Chives Broad-Leaved (Edible Flowers) be sown?

The recommended sowing months are March – May. Sowing method: direct or seedlings.

What is the germination rate of the seeds?

The measured germination rate of this batch is 90%. The test was carried out under controlled laboratory conditions; in the field, emergence depends on soil, temperature and moisture.