When to sow chives
In zone 8, most of the UK: sow direct from March to June and in September. First harvest about 60 days later.
Growing stages
Chives: calendar by hardiness zone
| Zone | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | |||
| Zone 7 | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | ||
| Zone 8reference | Harvest | Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest |
| Zone 9 | Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Harvest | Harvest |
| Zone 10 | Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting | Harvest |
- Zone 6
- −23 to −18 °C (−10 to 0 °F): high mountains
- Zone 7
- −18 to −12 °C (0 to 10 °F): upland Britain, eastern France, the Alps
- Zone 8
- −12 to −7 °C (10 to 20 °F): most of the UK and France
- Zone 9
- −7 to −1 °C (20 to 30 °F): south-west England, Brittany, Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts
- Zone 10
- −1 to 4 °C (30 to 40 °F): Isles of Scilly, the French Riviera, coastal Corsica
Indicative months. A cold year or a garden at altitude shifts everything by a month; watch the frosts too.
Chives in practice
- Spacing
- 20 cm along the row, 25 cm between rows
- Sun
- copes with part shade
- Watering
- low
- Difficulty
- easy
- In a pot
- yes
- Support
- none
- Family
- Alliums (Amaryllidaceae)
- Perennial
- yes
Good companions for chives
Keep apart
Questions about chives
When to sow chives?
In zone 8: sow direct from March to June and in September. The four other zones are in the calendar above; at altitude or after a long winter, aim for the end of the window.
How long until harvest?
About 60 days after sowing in zone 8, then the harvest lasts about 120 days.
How far apart?
20 cm between plants along the row and 25 cm between rows.
Can you grow chives in a pot?
Yes, in a deep enough pot, in the sun shown above. Soil dries fast in a pot: watch the watering more than in the ground.
What to plant nearby?
Good companions: carrot, strawberry and tomato. Keep apart: broad bean, dwarf bean, climbing bean and pea.
Updated 20 October 2026, Hortipix catalogue version 1. Windows still being checked against Le Guide Clause, Vilmorin and Terre vivante (RHS and Cornell for the UK and the US), compared with OpenFarm (CC0). They remain indicative.